


Reckless Hearts

by SaxonSpud



Category: Red Dead Redemption (Video Games)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-08-02
Updated: 2019-08-20
Packaged: 2020-07-29 10:53:29
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 47
Words: 85,911
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20080993
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SaxonSpud/pseuds/SaxonSpud
Summary: Please note this story will contain scenes of a sexual nature, violence and other mature themesDutch Van Der Linde finds Kara Finlay in a saloon in Blackwater. She is young and pretty. A talented poker player, and pickpocket. After recruiting her to the gang, he finds she is also talented with a gun, if not a little reckless. An Ideal addition to the gang or is she a disaster waiting to happen.





	1. Chapter 1

You leant against the bar, one hand on your hip, and rolled your eyes.

"Really boys, ain't you and your friend lost enough money already," you drawled.

"C'mon," the half drunk cowboy slurred. "Double or quits."

You grinned, "Ok, but you better buy me a drink first, cos you ain't gonna be able to afford it, once we're done!"

The bartender, put a whisky on the bar. You waited until the man had tossed the money on the counter, before you necked it, in one gulp.

"Lets get this over with," you laughed, as you headed back to the poker table.

A short while later, you dragged the money towards you, and stashed it in your satchel.

The cowboy sneered.

"It's not like I didn't warn you," you smirked, as you got up from your seat.

You clapped your hand on his shoulder, "maybe you can try and win it back, next week."

One of the other players at the table laughed, "That's if his wife ever lets him out again!"

The cowboy got up, and staggered out the saloon.

You grinned, as you watched him go, and headed back to the bar.

You noticed a man at a table in the corner, eyeing you up and down. He was well dressed. He also looked rich.

You shrugged the idea off. You'd made plenty tonight, without pushing your luck. Besides, it had all been legal. Well, most of it.

You were about to order a whisky, when the man walked over.

"Excuse me miss, can I buy you a drink." he asked.

You looked him up and down, he was smart looking. Dressed in black, apart from his white shirt, with grey pinstripes, and a bright red silk handkerchief, in his coat pocket. There were gold chains hanging off his waist coat. You couldn't help notice the ruby, that hung down from one of the buttons. Surprisingly, he wore no neck tie. But he carried it off, very well.

You smiled. "I don't usually accept drinks from strangers," you quipped.

His lips curled slightly upwards, with the vaguest hint of a smile. "Then lets get acquainted, Dutch Van Der Linde," he held out his hand.

"Kara Finlay," you responded, holding out your own.

He took your hand, a slowly brought it to his lips, "enchanted, Miss Finlay."

You rolled your eyes, withdrawing your hand, "quite the gentlemen, aren't you. Mr Van Der Linde."

This caused him to chuckle, you weren't quite sure why.

He nodded to the barman, who passed him a bottle, and two glasses.

"Now Miss Finlay, lets have this drink."

He walked back to the table, where he had been sitting before.

You shrugged your shoulders nonchalantly, and followed him.

He set the glasses on the table, and quickly poured the drinks. He raised a glass.

"To not being strangers," he toasted.

You raised the glass, and took a sip of the alcohol. You raised your eyebrows.

"The good stuff," you commented, quite surprised.

He smiled, "I doubt you'd drink anything less. In any case, watching your work tonight, you deserve it."

You leant back in your chair. Observing the man opposite.

"A few hands of poker, is hardly working," you retorted.

He leant forward, speaking in a whisper, "in some states, counting cards like that could get you arrested. Besides, you could have let that poor bastard go home with some dignity, now he doesn't even have a watch!"

You leant forward, and glared at him, "What do you want, Mr Van Der Linde."

He smirked, "I want you to come and work for me. I don't suppose the folks of this town, would be too happy if they found out they had a cheat, and a thief in their midst."

You narrowed your eyes, "Are you threatening me, Mr Van Der Linde?"

He chuckled, "I wouldn't dream of it, you're packing a tasty side arm," he glanced at the revolver in your holster. "I assume you know how to use it?"

"Why don't we just go outside, and you can find out," you sneered.

"Now why would I want to do that. It would be a pointless exercise, shooting the thief, I'm hoping to persuade to join me. So what do you say?"

You leant back in your chair, rubbing your mouth with your hand, as you thought about his offer.

"Is it just you," you asked.

Dutch chuckled, "no, I have several friends."

You raised your eyebrows, "a gang then?"

"More of a community." he added.

You laughed, "hell, why not. It was getting a bit dull around here anyway."

"Good," he stood up, "I assume you've got a horse."

You just looked at him, and rolled your eyes.

The bartender, glanced across, as you followed the stranger.

"Everythin' alright Kara?" he asked, frowning.

You smiled, "Just peachy, Joe. Just peachy." You waved as you left the saloon.

Dutch Van Der Linde smirked, as he mounted his horse. "My boys are just gonna love you."

You rolled your eyes, as you mounted your horse. This better be worth your while, you thought.  
  


You rode out of Blackwater, side by side. An unlikely pair.

Dutch was the first to speak, "So, were you bluffing, when you called me out, Miss Finlay?"

You smirked, "Please call me Kara. A good friend, once said to me, never gamble with what you're not prepared to lose. You money, your life, your ideals. I figured you wanted me for something, so even if you beat me in the draw, you wouldn't shoot to kill."

Dutch hummed, "and what if you'd beaten me, would I be dead."

You narrowed your eyes, "I never kill for fun, Mr Van Der Linde. I would have disarmed you."

He smiled, "Please call me Dutch. How very unusual, to meet a woman with brains, as well as beauty."

You felt your face flush. You weren't used to receiving compliments.

He glanced at you and smirked.

"So tell me Kara, how long have you been counting cards, and lifting watches for?"

You thought for a while, not sure whether to tell the stranger, everything about yourself.

"Long enough," you replied.

He smiled, "it appears you like to play your cards, close to your chest."

You glanced at him, trying to read him, "I find it best, not to give too much away to people I hardly know." you added.

He nodded. "Very wise. Very wise for one so young. Am I permitted to know that at least?" he questioned.

You smirked, "I'm eighteen."

"Is that the truth, or is that just what you think I want to hear?" he asked.

You laughed, "I'm not in the habit of telling people, what they want to hear. Which is likely why you found me, robbing and counting cards!"

He chuckled, "So cynical, for one so young. Hopefully, I can change your mind, the world doesn't have to be so dark."

You Shrugged, "Maybe, I guess time will tell."


	2. Chapter 2

You rode along for a while, until Dutch turned off the road, along a small tree lined track.

Once you were about half way along, you heard a man, with a heavy accent, call out.

"Who's there?"

Dutch replied, "Dutch and a guest, comin' in."

As you rode past, you looked at the man. He winked at you.

You felt your face flush slightly. "You have a Mexican, in your gang!" You exclaimed.

Dutch nodded, "That's Javier, we're not prejudiced here Kara, anyone is welcome."

"Especially card counting pickpockets," you smirked.

His eyes locked on yours, the hint of a smile crossed his face, "only if they're pretty," he purred.

You looked away, your face flushing once again. You felt slightly uncomfortable. He seemed to like making you feel that way. You rode with him, further down the track.  
  


You soon reached the camp proper. You were quite surprised. There were a number of tents, several wagons, and a couple of campfires.

You dismounted, and patted your horse, before hitching it to a tree.

Dutch did the same, then you followed him towards the centre of the camp.

Once he'd reached a large tent, he stopped in front of it, and his baritone voice, boomed out.

"Friends, gather round." He waited until a number of people had gathered around. You were somewhat surprised, he hadn't been lying when he said they weren't prejudiced. You did note, however, that there were no women dressed like you. They were all wearing dresses, and not one was armed.

Dutch continued, "I'd like you to welcome, Miss Kara Finlay. She'll be joining us. Please make her welcome."

He looked over at one of the women, older than the rest. "Miss Grimshaw. Please can you arrange a tent, for Miss Finlay." he commanded.

The woman nodded, and looked at you.

"This way Miss Finlay," she said, she beckoned you over.  
  


You followed her across the camp. She stopped at a wagon, where a middle aged man, wide around the girth, was chopping up some meat.

"Mr Pearson," she called. "When you have a moment, can you set up a tent, for Miss Finlay."

He looked across at you, and wiped his hands down his apron. It was already covered in blood stains. You hoped it was animal blood. He extended a hand.

"Pleased to meet you Miss Finlay," he enthused, as he held out his hand. "Simon Pearson."

You shook his hand, and smiled.

You glance at each of them, "please, call me Kara."

"Well, Kara. I just need to finish this, then I'll sort you out a tent, It'll be between Dutch's and Arthur's."

"Arthur?" you questioned.

Simon Pearson chuckled. "Oh, you haven't met Mr Morgan yet."

"She's only just arrived, Mr Pearson," Susan Grimshaw, chided. She looked at you and smiled.

"You may call me Susan. For the record, Arthur is ok, he can just be a bit..." she hesitated.

"I think grumpy, is the word your looking for," Mr Pearson scoffed.

You raised your eyebrows, "Perhaps I should introduce myself, to some of the others."

Susan smiled, "that's a very good idea, my dear. If you need anything, come and find me. Your tent will ready shortly." She glared at Simon Pearson, and walked away.  
  


You walked back towards the centre of the camp. So far, everyone seemed to be relatively pleasant.

As you headed toward where Dutch was sitting, with an older man, you heard someone call your name. "Miss Finlay!"

You turned around and came face to face with a well built man. His blond hair, looked unkempt and dirty, and hung straight, where it finished at his shoulders. He sported a horseshoe moustache, which was the same colour of his hair.

"So tell me, are you more dead weight, or do you actually know how to use that," he sneered, as he pointed at the gun on your belt.

You had already taken a dislike to the man.

You put your hand, on your revolver, and took a step towards him.

"Why don't we find out," you snarled.

He chuckled, his hand resting on one of his pistols. You'd noticed he carried two.

"Are you calling me out," he smirked.

You felt a hand on your shoulder.

"That will do," Dutch commanded, he looked at the greasy gunslinger. "Micah, you should know better, I don't need my newest recruit, and one of my best guns, blowing each others heads off."

You shrugged Dutch's arm away. "No, I don't think it will do." you took a step closer to the man.

"Maybe you want to put your money, where your mouth is," you sneered.

Micah folded his arms, and chuckled. "What did you have he mind?"

"Mr Bell, that is enough!" You heard, Dutch's voice behind you, there was a hint of annoyance in it.

You ignored him. "Well, Mr Bell," you said, accentuating the Mr. "How about a little competition, unless you're yellow," you smirked.

You heard a laugh, from behind you. It was a voice you hadn't heard, but you were too intent on trying to intimidate the man in front of you, to pay a great deal of attention.

Micah looked past you. and sneered, "Shut the fuck up, Cowpoke!"

He looked at you, and grinned, "Sure little lady, what did you have in mind?"

You raised your eyebrows, "six bottles, six shots. Fastest wins the pot." You pulled one hundred dollars from your pocket, and looked him up and down, "That's if you can afford the wager, Mr Bell!"

Micah pulled some money from his pocket, as he walked past you he snatched the money from your hand.

As you spun round, you saw him pass the money to Dutch.

"Look after this for me, I'll be collecting it shortly," he smirked.

Dutch took the money, and folded his arms. He looked angry, but you could also see something else in his eye. Curiosity.

Dutch glanced over at another man, "Arthur, keep an eye on these fools, make sure they don't kill each other."

Arthur shrugged, "sure."

You looked at the other man. So this was Arthur Morgan. You could see why Mr Pearson had called him grumpy. He seemed to have a permanent scowl on his face. But you also recognised the voice, as the one that had been laughing. His blue eyes stared at you. He was sizing you up, you could tell.

Despite the scowl, he was a good looking man, and not one you would tend to pick a fight with. His shirtsleeves, rolled up to the elbows, revealed his bronzed muscular arms, laced with rough hairs.

You turned away, time to focus on the task ahead.

Micah picked up some empty beer bottles and headed towards a log.

He placed six on the log. "Ladies first," he smirked.

You took out your gun, and checked the barrel, to make sure it was full.

Before you had a chance, to start. You heard the voice of Susan Grimshaw.

"What the hell is going on, you know I don't allow guns to be fired, inside the camp," she shouted.

You heard Dutch's voice. "Just this once Miss Grimshaw."

The next moment, you could have heard a pin drop. You sensed that every single member of the Van Der Linde gang, was watching.

You stepped forward, took a deep breath. As you exhaled, you fired off six rounds. When the smoke had cleared, all six bottles were shattered.

You slowly reloaded your gun, and pushed it back in the holster. You folded your arms.

"Your turn Mr Bell." you smirked.

Arthur Morgan, walked over to the log, and replaced the broken bottles with six more.

As he walked past Micah, he smirked, "hope you ain't gonna let a girl best ya."

Micah glared at Arthur, as he pulled out his pistol.

You watched carefully, as Micah fired off his rounds, when the fifth bottle shattered, you coughed. You noticed a slight, change in Micah's stance. You smiled to yourself. It had been enough.

As he fired his last round, it missed the last bottle.

He growled, holstering his pistol. He spun around to look at you glaring. He knew what you'd done.

You placed your thumbs in your belt. "Looks like you missed one, Mr Bell," you smirked.

His fists clenched, as he strode towards you. He was stopped in his tracks, by Arthur, who put his hand in front of you.

"Don't be a bad loser Micah, just go and calm down."

Micah, his face flushed with anger, continued to glare. "You haven't heard the last of this," he threatened, as he turned, and walked away.

Arthur looked at you and grinned, "That was a cheap trick."

You shrugged. "It's all about focus, Mr Morgan. Concentration and focus."

You turned to see Dutch looking at you, his eyes narrowed. He held out the money, "nicely done." He commented.

You smirked, "I thought so."

"However," his expression darkened, somewhat, "I think I'd like a little word with you...in private."

You shrugged, and followed Dutch back to his tent.  
  


Once inside, he closed the flap. He spun around, and glared at you, his face red with anger.

"Don't you ever do that again. If I give you an order, I expect you to follow it." he growled.

You held contact with his eye. Now wasn't the time to back down, even if you were shitting yourself. You should have realised, when you met this man in Blackwater, that he liked to be in control.

Before you had a chance to say anything, you felt his hand around your throat, pinning you to the wooden upright, of the tent.

His face, was only inches from yours, "Do I make myself clear," he growled.

You managed to nod. His hand was so tight around your throat, that you couldn't speak.

He released his grip, and took a step back, straightening his waistcoat.

You coughed, and held your hand to your throat. Your heart pounded in your chest. This was a man, not to be trifled with.

"Good," he said, the anger, had left his face.

He opened the tent flap, "I want you to meet Arthur properly. I think it will be good for you, to do some work with him." He stood by the opening.

You swallowed hard. This man could go from a charismatic gentleman, to a violent outlaw at the flick of a switch. You knew now, that you really didn't want to get on his bad side.  
  


As you walked out the tent, he followed you. Placing a firm grip on your shoulder, as he guided you to where Arthur was now sitting, with the older man you had seen earlier.

You'd stopped yourself from flinching, when you felt the hand on your shoulder. You guessed if he was gonna hit you, he'd probably do it in private. You didn't particularly like being touched like that, but after the episode in the tent, you decided to put up with it.

As you approached the table, and an empty chair, Dutch's hand moved from your shoulder to the back of your neck. He lowered his head, so you could feel his breath on your neck.

"Sit!" he growled, as you felt him pushing you down.

You looked around, as you sat. It was apparent, the none of the other men at the table had heard the command, or possibly they had, and it was normal.

Dutch smiled, his hand still clamped on the back of your neck. He was making a point.

"Kara, this is Hosea Matthews, and Arthur Morgan." he finally removed his hand.

Hosea smiled, "Welcome Kara. I saw you're little display earlier, I have to say I'm impressed."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Which the shooting or the cheap trick," he scoffed.

Hosea smirked,"why the cheap trick of course, anyone can shoot a few bottles, but to put you're opponent off their game, they takes skill, and a cunning mind."

Dutch laughed, "Hosea is our resident conman. I do believe that you and he will get on well."

You smiled, feeling a little more at ease, despite noticing that Dutch was still giving you sideways glances.

Arthur's glances, however werent sideways. He was most definitely still trying work you out. Something also told you, by the look on his face. He knew exactly what had happened in Dutch's tent.

"You wanna watch yourself, Miss." Arthur scoffed, "Micah Bell, ain't the sort of person to make an enemy of!"

Dutch laughed, "Oh Micah will get over it. Besides Arthur, I want you to take Kara under you wing."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Why? She can obviously shoot, she can ride, she can steal. Hell, she can even play poker."

Dutch shook his head, "just humour me son. Besides, it'll do you good to ride with someone."

Arthur shrugged, and glared at you. "Ok, I'll be leaving at dawn, just make sure you do exactly what I say, and don't go off on one, like you did earlier."

You frowned at Arthur, "I didn't..."

Dutch cut you off, "I'm sure Kara will do exactly as you say. Wont you Kara?" his eyes locked on yours, a warning flashed across his face.

You nodded. You weren't sure that you were going to fit in here terribly well. Still you could always leave, go back to Blackwater.

Hosea cast you a sympathetic glance. You started to get the feeling that both men new exactly what had happened in the tent.

Hosea stood up, "Come on Kara, let me show you around. We can get some food, and you can tell me all about your poker skills."

You stood up, Hosea put a gentle hand on your shoulder. Completely different to Dutch's heavy handed approach.

Dutch called after you, "You should probably get an early night."

You glanced over your shoulder, "I'll be the judge of that!" you scoffed.

As soon as the words left your lips, you regretted them. You had more than likely just pissed him off again. You were your own worst enemy, you knew that already. But you were your own person. You sure as hell, weren't gonna be told when to sleep.

Dutch glared, as you walked away.

"She's gonna be trouble,"Arthur commented.

"She'll learn," Dutch replied, as he narrowed his eyes.


	3. Chapter 3

Hosea, guided you, in the first instance to the stew pot. Where you both grabbed a bowl, and sat down at the table.

"Now what brings you into our little fold?" he asked.

You took a mouth full of stew. It wasn't half bad.

"I was counting cards in Blackwater, at the Poker table, then I lifted a guys watch." You pulled the watch out your pocket, and showed it to Hosea, rather proudly.

He chuckled. "I see you have good taste, Kara. I always say, there's no point in stealing something, you wouldn't want to keep for yourself. If you don't want it, then why would anyone else!"

You laughed, but only for a moment. Then you sighed, and carried on eating.

Hosea frowned,"you don't look particularly happy to be here,"

You shrugged, "It was either here, or you're illustrious leader, was gonna let them know, I was counting cards, and pickpocketing. I've never been caught before, so I thought this was the lesser of the two evils. I think I may have been wrong."

Hosea shrugged, "He's also my friend. He has his faults, I know. But he's not that bad. He must have figured, that you were on a downward slope. He...we, don't just ask anyone to join us."

You frowned, "I'm sorry, if I upset you, Hosea. I always like to speak my mind, even if it does get me into trouble."

Hosea leaned closer, "no need to apologise, my dear. Tell me, do you get into trouble very often."

You smirked, "frequently!"

Hosea laughed, "Then you'll fit in well."

Hosea looked around the camp, and started pointing people out.

"Those two, over there. That's John and Abigail. They have a little boy. John came to us, when he was about twelve."

You raised your eyebrows, "Twelve!" you exclaimed.

Hosea nodded, "Arthur was only fifteen. Like I said, only people who we think need help."

You glanced over to the tree line, where Javier was standing.

"What about the Mexican man, Javier." you asked, "and the man standing next to him?"

Hosea smiled, "Javier was on the run, from some high ranking Mexican official. Bill, he'd just left the army, and wasn't doing so well."

You nodded, and finished eating. It appeared that everyone was somehow, in need of something, when Dutch picked them up.

"So what about you, what's your story Kara?"

You shrugged, "nothing really. I never knew my father. My mother had a string of men, who just thought I was an annoyance. I left as soon as I could. Fell in with a gambler. He treated me good, and taught me all I know."

Hosea nodded, "not an unusual story, what happened to the gambler?"

You closed your eyes, and sighed. You still missed him. "He died," you stated, you voice cracking slightly.

Hosea touched your arm, "I'm sorry. Some losses are harder than others."

You looked at his face, he had a far away look in his eye.

You both sat in silence, for a few moments, until you were joined at the table, by a couple of young men. Slightly older than you.

You looked up, as did Hosea, who smiled.

"Now Kara, these two fine young men are Lenny and Sean. Lenny is a very clever young man, he reads a lot. Sean on the other hand, is an idiot."

Lenny chuckled. Sean, gave him a friendly punch, "Now thats a little unfair, Mr Matthews." he retorted. You noted his heavy Irish accent.

Hosea smiled, "Perhaps." he looked at you, "I'll leave you three youngsters, to get acquainted, I'm and old man, and need my sleep."

You watched as Hosea left. You liked him, a lot more than Dutch, or Arthur.

Sean walked across to a wagon and came back with some bottles of beer.

"Here ya go, Miss." He grinned, as he passed you a bottle, and then he passed one to Lenny.

"Just call me Kara,"you grinned, "so what do you do for fun around here?" You asked.

Lenny smirked. "I can teach you how to play five finger fillet."

Sean scowled, "I ain't playing that, he's a demon and always wins. But Javier, might play his guitar soon, then we can all have a song."

You chuckled. "Well I've never played that game before, perhaps you can teach me. Maybe not tonight though, I have to go out with Arthur in the morning."

"You poor thing, having to spend the day with that miserable bastard," Sean scoffed.

Lenny smiled, he seemed a little on the shy side.

"Arthur's ok, when you get to know him," Lenny added.

You weren't entirely sure, you wanted to get to know him.

As you finished your beer, you saw Mr Pearson, coming towards the table.

"Kara, you're tent is ready. Its just next to Arthur's and Dutch's."

You smiled, "Thank you. I think I should go to bed."

Sean winked, "You must be honoured, the rest of us, have tents right over the other side."

You rolled your eyes, "more likely Sean, they want to keep an eye on me."

You stood up, and walked over to the tent. Both Arthur's and Dutch's tents were closed, which you were glad of.

You looked inside the tent, it looked more comfortable than you were used to. A small cot, a table and a chest at the bottom. Your spare clothes were still in your saddle bags. You decided to leave them there, just in case you decided to make a hasty retreat.

You closed the flap, at least you would have some privacy. You undid you gun-belt, and laid it on the table, laying your hat along side it. Slipping your boots off, you laid on the cot, staring at the ceiling of the tent.

You sighed, and closed your eyes. Sleep came sooner than you thought it would.

You woke, just as the sun was rising. You quickly got up, buckled your gun-belt, and slid into your boots. Sweeping your hair to one side, you jammed on your hat.

Opening the tent flap, you saw that both Arthur and Dutch's tents were still closed.

The only person up, appeared to be Abigail, who Hosea had pointed out, last night. You walked over. As you got closer, you could smell the coffee. You guessed that was one benefit. There were a pile of tin mugs, laying next to the fire, so you grabbed one and filled it with the black brew.

"Morning," you greeted the woman.

Abigail smiled, "Good mornin'. I don't think we were properly introduced. I'm Abigail, you must be Kara?"

You nodded. "Are you always the first up?" You asked.

"Not much choice when your a mother," she snorted.

"That's what my mama always used to say," you agreed. "My daddy left, before I was born," you added.

Abigail sighed, "John's next to useless, but at least he's here I suppose."

You looked across the camp, to see Arthur emerging from his tent.

"I better go," you huffed, as you threw the dregs from the cup, into the fire. You headed to your horse, and waited for Arthur.

Arthur headed towards where you were standing. He scratched his stubble, "you ready then?" He mumbled.

You nodded, as you unhitched your horse, and mounted up.

Arthur said very little, as he mounted his horse, and headed down the track.

You just followed, silently.

He looked back, every so often, to make sure you will still following.

Once you reached the main road, you pushed your horse on a little so you were riding next to him.

"We're robbin' a wagon. we'll wait for it just up here." he grunted

You nodded. This was gonna be a laugh a minute. It was as much as he could do to say good morning.

As you pulled off the road, Arthur looked over at you, "Ever robbed a wagon, or a stage?" he grunted.

"No," you replied.

"Just do as I say, you'll be fine. You better cover your face." He mumbled.

You put a bandana across your face, you'd never done this before, and your heart started to race.

It didn't take long, before a wagon came along. It was filled with chests. There was only the driver.

The wagon, wasn't going very fast. Arthur called out to the driver, "you better stop friend, your being robbed."

The driver, a look of panic on his face, cracked the reins, and pushed the horses into a gallop. The wagon, lurched forward, and started to pickup speed.

Arthur's horse galloped along side. He jumped from his horse onto the front of the wagon. He grabbed the driver, and threw him out the side. Arthur yelled back at you, "deal with the driver."

He slowly pulled the horses to a stop.

You drew your gun, and pointed it at the driver.

"Please miss, don't shoot me, I have a family. I wont tell a soul." The man begged.

Arthur, jumped down off the wagon, and looked at you.

"Well don't just sit there, shoot him."

You stared at Arthur, aghast. "He's unarmed, he says he wont tell anyone. For Christ sakes, he's got a family."

Even though his face was covered, you could see Arthur scowl at you. He drew his gun, and shot the driver, in the head.

You stared at him, and pulled the bandana from your face. "What the fuck did you do that for, he wasn't gonna do anything!"

Arthur pulled the bandana, from his face. "If I tell you to shoot him, you shoot him."

You shook your head, "That's it, I knew this was a mistake. Fuck you, fuck Dutch, and fuck your gang. I ain't having anything to do with this, I'm outta here."

You turned your horse, away from Arthur.

You heard a click, the sound of a hammer, being pulled back.

"You move one more step, and I'll put a bullet in ya," Arthur growled.

You froze. The look on Arthur's face, told you he was deathly serious.

He walked towards you. "Get off the horse, nice n' easy." he snarled.

You slowly dismounted. Keeping your hands raised. You knew that Arthur would have no qualms about shooting you.

He held the gun to your temple, "I told Dutch you were gonna be trouble, seems like I was right."

"Well if you're gonna shoot me, just hurry up and get on with it," you hissed.

Arthur sneered, "I ain't gonna shoot you, I'll let Dutch decide what he wants to do. Now get on your knees."

You dropped to your knees. Arthur walked behind you, and grabbed you by the wrists. He quickly tied your wrists together, behind your back.

You felt him lift you up, as he slung you over his shoulder. He walked the short distance to the wagon, and chucked you in the back.

"Don't even think about moving," he snarled.

He tied both horses to the back of the wagon, then turned it around, and headed back towards camp.

It did cross your mind for a second, to jump off. But you knew you wouldn't get far. So you figured you better wait and see.

Maybe Dutch would finish the job from last night, and strangle you to death, or put a bullet in your head. Either way, you didn't think you'd see tomorrow morning.

When you got back to camp, Arthur hauled you out the back of the wagon, and with his gun in your back, marched you across camp.

No one attempted to intervene, until you reached Dutch's Tent.

Dutch looked at Arthur, pointing a gun in your back, and he noted that your hands were tied. He frowned.

"What's going on, son?" he asked, looking Arthur.

Arthur sneered, "I told you she was trouble."

Dutch looked at you, then back at Arthur. " You better bring her inside."

Arthur, gave you another shove, and pushed you inside the tent. Closing the flap behind him.

Dutch sat down on the cot.

"Exactly what happened, Arthur?" he asked. You were quite surprised, how calm he was, compared to the previous night.

"I jumped on the wagon, chucked the driver on the floor, told her to deal with him. She wouldn't shoot him, so I did. Then she threatened to leave." he snarled.

Dutch looked at you for the first time. "Is that what happened?" he asked.

You sighed, and nodded. You couldn't see the point in trying to explain, that you refused to be a cold blooded killer. As this was obviously what this gang was.

Dutch looked at Arthur. "Leave us," he commanded.

Arthur holstered his pistol, and nodded. He headed out the tent, closing the flap behind him.

Dutch stood up, and walked towards you.

"Turn around," he commanded.

You did as he said, you could feel your heart thumping in your chest. This was it. He was gonna kill you.

As you stood there, you heard a knife being pulled from a scabbard. You closed your eyes, waiting for the inevitable. You were surprised, when the knife, cut through the ropes that were binding your wrists.

You felt Dutch put his hands on your shoulders, and turn you around, so that you were facing him. He pointed to the chair, "Sit down, Kara."

You sat down, and looked at him. He was completely calm. You wondered what the hell was going on. He opened a little cabinet, by the side of the cot, and pulled out two glasses and a bottle of brandy.

After pouring two measures, he handed you a glass, and took one for himself, before sitting back down.

It wasn't until you took the glass from him, you realised how badly your hand was shaking. You quickly gulped down the brandy. You wondered if he had noticed, before he poured the brandy. He certainly seemed to notice a lot of things.

"Now, why don't you tell me what happened?" He asked, quietly.

You took a deep breath, trying to steady your nerves. You looked down at the floor. "The driver, was unarmed. He begged me to spare him, he had a family." You looked up, and stared at Dutch. "Arthur shot him. So I told him I wanted no part of this, or people that do this sort of thing. I already told you I never kill for fun. That man didn't need to die, he was innocent, and no threat." you blurted.

Dutch sighed. Leaning forward, he grabbed your hands, and turned them over. "You should go and see Susan, see if she's got something for those rope burns."

You snatched your hands back. "I won't stay, not if you expect me to kill in cold blood."

Dutch smiled, "I would never ask you to do that." He hesitated, "I'll have a word with Arthur. It seems like that wasn't entirely necessary."

You frowned, "why aren't you angry with me, I didn't do what Arthur told me."

Dutch chuckled. "I don't expect people to always agree with me. In fact I would encourage people to have their own ideas." He stopped laughing, and narrowed his eyes, "If you disagree with me, come and see me. We can always discuss it. What I wont put up with is anyone, disagreeing with me, in front of everyone else. Its disrespectful. Last night you disrespected me, I wont have that. But that's in the past.

You stared at Dutch for a moment. "Respect can't just be demanded, it has to be earned," you stated.

Dutch's eyes locked on yours, and you wondered for a second, if you had pushed your luck, once again.

He stood up, and rested a hand on your shoulder. "Go and get some food, and get those wrists seen to. If you need to discuss anything, just come and find me."

You walked towards the door.

"I hope, we're clear, Kara." He added.

You looked over your shoulder, "Yes, we're clear." You replied, as you walked out the tent.


	4. Chapter 4

As you walked out of Dutch's tent, you saw Arthur, standing outside of his own. The scowl still plastered across his face, watching you.

Dutch had said he would have a word, but you wondered if he'd just said that to placate you.

As you scanned across the rest of the camp, it appeared that no one was surprised to see you, walking back out of Dutch's tent. You wondered if this was a regular occurrence, Arthur tying people up, and marching them into Dutch's tent. You were inclined to agree with Sean. Arthur Morgan was a grumpy bastard.

You walked across the camp, looking for Susan Grimshaw. You saw her standing by a wagon, it seemed to be stacked full of medical supplies.

As she saw you, she smiled. "Are you ok dear?" she asked.

You shrugged, "I guess. Dutch said you might have something..."

She finished the sentence, "for the rope burns, yes, I do."

She pulled a tub, from the back of the wagon

"Come and sit down." She pointed towards the table, where you had sat with Hosea, the previous evening.

As you sat down, she pulled one of the other chairs a bit closer.

She started to apply the salve to your wrists. They weren't that sore, but the salve felt cold, colder than normal. You guessed that was because of the heat in your wrists.

"Arthur isn't a bad man, Kara." Susan explained, "he's just been through a lot recently."

"We all go through bad times, doesn't mean you have to shoot innocent people, and tie people up," you scoffed.

Susan stopped, and looked at you. "Is that why you wanted to shoot Micah, last night." she paused, smirking, "not that I would blame you. Most people round here would quite happily shoot him."

You sighed, "that was different."

Susan carried on tending to your wrists, "I heard you did the same with Dutch, in Blackwater?" she added.

You looked away. Staring into the distance, not really focussing on anything.

Susan continued, "I think Dutch could see you coming to a sticky end. That's why he brought you here. He has a sixth sense for that sort of thing."

You began to wonder if that was true, were you really heading into trouble. Like some runaway train.

You were roused from your daydream.

"There," Susan confirmed, "all done."

You smiled, "thank you."

Susan stood up, "Mr Pearson, has just made some stew. I'd get in there, before the boys eat it all. Do you have any other clothes, apart from the ones you're stood up in?" She asked.

You nodded, "They're in my saddle bags."

She nodded, "Then after you've eaten, I'll get a couple of the girls to help you. They'll wash anything dirty, as well."

You raised your eyebrows, "Oh!" you exclaimed.

Susan tutted. "Don't sound so surprised. We may not live in a house, but I certainly wont let standards drop."

You smiled and nodded. Dutch may be the leader, but Susan was the one that kept the camp organised.

You did as Susan suggested, and grabbed some food. As you sat down, you looked across where Arthur was standing. He had been joined by Dutch.

Dutch had his hands on Arthur's shoulders. It didn't particularly look like he was being given a dressing down, but it was difficult to tell, as you couldn't hear what was being said.

You kept looking. After a few moments, Dutch had taken a step back, and was jabbing Arthur in the chest with his finger. He suddenly turned around, and pointed towards you. You quickly looked down at the bowl of stew. You hoped that he hadn't seen you watching. Having said that, you felt a bit happier in the knowledge, that Dutch seemed like he was giving Arthur a good talking to.

You finished your food. You were more than happy, that no one had come over to where you were sitting. You still needed time to process what had happened that morning. But also, to process what Susan had said, as well. As you glanced up, you noticed three of the women, who you had seen last night, were walking towards you.

The first one to speak, was a young black woman. She looked around the same age as you, maybe a little older.

"Hi Kara. Miss Grimshaw said you might need some help with your things. I'm Tilly, this is Mary-Beth, and Karen." She said, gesturing to the other two women.

You smiled, "Thanks, that would be helpful. Everything is still on my horse."

You stood up, and the three women followed you to where your appaloosa mare was still hitched, to the wagon that Arthur had robbed that morning.

"That's a nice horse, did you steal it?" Karen asked, her green eyes twinkling.

You laughed, "no, I won her in a poker game." you patted the horses neck.

"Good girl," you soothed.

"What's her name?" Mary-Beth asked.

You shrugged. "Name? She doesn't have one," you replied, somewhat surprised.

Mary-Beth looked at you, a perplexed look on her face. "All the horses here have names," she confirmed.

You looked around at all the other horses. "Really!" you remarked.

Tilly pointed to Dutch's horse, "That's The Count, that's Dutch's horse. No one can ride him except for Dutch."

"That one," Tilly pointed to a silver coated horse, "is Silver Dollar, that's Hosea's horse."

You nodded towards Arthur's horse, who was also still hitched to the wagon.

"What's her name?" you asked.

The women exchanged glances, fully aware of what had occurred that morning.

"She's called Boadicea." Karen answered.

Karen smirked, "ya know, some women would love to be tied up by Arthur."

You rolled your eyes, and looked at Karen, "be my guest, you wont get any competition from me!" you exclaimed.

You reached into your saddle bag, and pulled out a pile of clothes, which you passed to Karen.

"Not me," Karen grinned, "but Mary-Beth might,"

Mary-Beth blushed, as she punched Karen in the arm.

You walked around the other side of your horse, you smiled, these women were amusing, if nothing else. You opened the second saddlebag, pulling out a small bag, and some more clothes.

You handed them to Mary-Beth and Tilly.

Tilly, noticed you were smiling, and grinned, "Everyone knows Mary-Beth is sweet on Arthur."

Mary-Beth scowled, "Don't you dare say anything!"

"Don't worry," you grinned, "you're secret is safe with me, I'd be more worried about Karen and Tilly." You scoffed.

You reached down into your first saddlebag again, and pulled out a framed picture.

Karen looked at you, then at the picture you were holding. "Is that why? Have you got a boyfriend already?" She asked curiously.

You looked at the picture. Sadness clouded your features.

"No," you whispered. "Not any more."

Mary-Beth gazed at you, sympathetically, "Who was he?" she probed.

You turned the photo frame around, to show them the picture.

They all stood there, open mouthed.

Karen gasped, "you knew Randolph Masterson? He was a legend."

You nodded, "he was my best friend."

You walked away from the horses, towards your tent, closely followed by the three women.

They put the piles of clothes, and the small bag on your cot.

You smiled, "Thank you ladies. It was nice meeting you."

As they left, Mary-Beth hung back.

"I'm sure you'll find someone, one day." she smiled.

You smiled back. You didn't think that Arthur deserved such a kind hearted soul as Mary-Beth.

You put the clothes in the trunk, at the bottom of cot.

Laying on your cot, you looked at the photo, and sighed. "Well Randy, what am I gonna do now?"

As you lay there, you were aware of someone in the doorway. You looked up.

"Not disturbin' you, am I?" Arthur asked.

You scowled, "actually, yes."

He stood there. Staring at you.

"Is there something you want, Mr Morgan?" You asked, tersely.

Arthur nodded, "I wanted to apologise, for this morning."

You sat up, and swung your legs over the side of the cot.

"Which bit, shooting an innocent man, or tying me up?" you retorted, sarcastically.

He sighed, and looked at the ground, "both," he mumbled. "We probably didn't get off to a very good start." He added.

You rolled your eyes, "ya think!"

He looked at you, and pointed at the picture frame, you were still holding.

"Who's that?" he asked.

"No one, its not important," you replied, your voice breaking.

"Don't sound like no one, if you ask me," he replied, sympathetically.

"I wasn't' askin', " you huffed.

He hummed. "Anyway, maybe we can try again tomorrow."

You hesitated. "Sure, ok." you sighed. "as long as you promise not to tie me up."

Arthur winked, a smirk on his face. "Ain't making no promises." he paused, glancing at the bag on the chair, "I'll let you finish settling in."

He turned and left the tent.

You shook your head, you thought you were a good judge of people. Randy had taught you how to read peoples faces. But Arthur. You couldn't quite get.


	5. Chapter 5

You sat on the cot, looking at the bag you placed on the chair. You should have left it in the saddle bag. Out of sight, out of mind. You certainly weren't ready to look inside it. At least not yet.

You laid back down on the cot, closed your eyes. The photo clutched to your chest. You weren't tired, but you needed to think. In hindsight, you wished you hadn't shown the girls the picture. Randy wouldn't have wanted to be a legend.

It was likely the man that shot him in the back, made him into a legend. Was that why you kept calling everybody out, when you got the chance. In hopes you would come across the bastard, that killed, the closest person to a father that you had. Had Dutch seen that in you, when he saw you at the saloon. Susan, obviously thought so. Or were you just calling people out, in hopes that someone would put you out of your misery.

"Kara?"

You opened your eyes, maybe you should have closed the tent flap, when Arthur had left. Now Dutch was standing in the door way.

He narrowed his eyes, "Are you ok?"

You sighed, "sure. What can I do for you?" you asked, sitting up. You put the photo, face down on the table beside you.

Dutch pointed at the Photo,"you don't have to hide it, the girls...well its the talk of the camp."

He walked into the tent, and looked at the bag on the chair.

"His?" he asked.

You nodded. Looking at your hands.

Dutch picked up the bag, and put it on the floor, before sitting down on the chair. "Have you...?"

You interrupted him, before he could finish. "No I haven't looked inside," you confirmed, your voice cracking.

Dutch nodded, "How long has it been?" He queried.

You shrugged, "couple of months, I guess."

"And how many gunfights have you had, since then?" He questioned.

Your face flushed, angrily. "Does it matter!" You hissed.

"But you did kill them, didn't you. You didn't just disarm them?" He confirmed.

You stared at him, "yes I did, and I'd do it again," you growled.

Dutch stood up, and sat next to you on the cot. He put his hands on your shoulders, the same way you had seen him, with Arthur earlier. Turning you towards him, so you were facing him.

"He wouldn't want you to behave like this, would he? What would he say?"

You looked down, "He'd say I was stupid." You hesitated, then you snapped your head up, and looked Dutch in the eyes, as tears welled up in your own. "But he was stupid. Stupid for letting that fucking bastard shoot him in the back. If I have to shoot every fucking gambler in the five states, I'll find him. I swear it." you wailed, a tear escaped from your eye, and trickled down your cheek.

Dutch wiped the tear away with his thumb, then cupped your cheek in his hand.

"Listen to me Kara, I know you're angry, and upset. I could see that in the saloon in Blackwater. You were on a downhill spiral. Vengeance only ever ends one way." He paused, "He wouldn't want you to throw your life away, not like that. You're not stupid. You're just hurt. We've all been where you are now. If you need to talk about it, we're all here to support you. You're part of this family now."

"Why are you doing this?" you asked, your voice hushed to a whisper.

Dutch smiled. "Because its what I do. There isn't one person here, who didn't need my help. Except perhaps for Hosea." he sighed, "and even Hosea, has needed my help since we've been running together."

He patted you on the back, gently. "Now sort yourself out, and come outside. There are still a lot of people who want to meet you."

You sighed, "because I'm Randolph Masterson's side kick!"

Dutch shook his head, "No because your a very clever, and beautiful young woman."

He stood up, and looked at the bag on the floor, "and when you're ready, let me know. We'll go through it together."

You sighed, and looked over at Dutch. "Thank you, Dutch."

"Don't mention it, and I'll see you outside soon." He soothed, as he left the tent.

You got up from the cot, and opened the trunk, which held your clothes. You took them all out, then put the bag, right at the bottom, putting the clothes back on top. You looked at the photograph, laying face down on the table. Picking it up, you looked at the picture, and shook your head. You propped it up, so the picture was angled towards your cot.

You walked to the door of the tent, took a deep a breath, and ventured outside.

You looked at the sky, it was a beautiful blue, the sun was hot. Sometimes it was just the simple things, that made everything bearable. You grabbed a bottle of beer, from a nearby table. After taking a quick drink, you headed over to where you saw Lenny sitting.

As you approached, he smiled.

"Ready to learn how to play a new game?" he asked, grinning.

His smile was contagious, you couldn't help but smile. "Sure, but I warn you, I'm a quick learner." You joked, as you sat down.

He pulled out the knife, which was stuck in the table.

"Watch and learn," he quipped.

Lenny put his hand on the table, with his fingers spread. He proceeded to stab the knife in between the gaps. You gaped open mouthed, at the speed and dexterity he had.

"Don't you ever slip up?" You asked.

Lenny grinned, "Occasionally, but you soon learn not to, it hurts too much!"

You pulled your knife from your belt, and placed your hand on the table. Spreading your fingers.

You started off slow, stabbing the knife in-between the gaps. As you got more confident, you sped up.

By now, there was a small crowd gathering.

"good knife skills," Javier called out.

You stupidly glance round, and managed to stab the knife in your hand.

"Fuck!" you hissed, as blood spurted from the cut on your hand.

Arthur leaned over your shoulder, "concentration and focus," he commented, sniggering.

You whipped your head round. Seeing the smirk on his face, you couldn't help but laugh.

Javier came over and put his hand on your shoulder, "I'm sorry chica, I think that was my fault."

You looked round at him, you'd only seen him from a distance, when you rode in with Dutch, and when you had sat talking to Hosea.

You'd never met a Mexican before, he wasn't exactly what you were expecting.

Javier, held out his hand, "Let me take you to get it fixed up, at least," he offered.

You took his hand, and he led you to the wagon, that held the medical supplies.

Javier grabbed a bandage, and led you over to another table.

He started to bandage your hand. "You should probably be careful, about playing that game. You don't want to damage your shooting hand, I hear your quite handy, with a gun." He smirked.

You smiled, "I only carry one gun, so it wont be a problem."

Javier frowned, "you should practice with both hands, you may want to carry two, at some point in the future," he suggested.

You nodded, "maybe, I've never really thought about myself as a gunslinger..." your voice trailed off.

"Is everything OK, "Javier asked, concern on his face.

You hummed, "just thinking."

"Well think quick, here comes the boss, he doesn't look very happy." Javier warned.

"I'm probably in trouble again," you smirked.

You looked up, to see Dutch striding across.

"What have you been up to now?" he growled.

You bit your bottom lip, "sorry, I was playing a game, I got a bit carried away."

Dutch grabbed your arm, "come with me," he commanded.

Dutch dragged you over to his tent. Once inside, he grabbed you by the shoulders, and sat you on his cot.

Dutch grabbed the half bandaged hand, and unwrapped it. He examine the knife wound in your hand.

Picking a bottle of whisky, from the table, he opened it, and poured in in the cut.

You winced, as the fluid burned the open wound.

Dutch stared at you, shaking his head. "Maybe that will teach you to be a bit more careful. But I doubt it," he complained, as he re-bandaged your hand.

"I would appreciate it, if you could stay out of trouble, for at least one day." he warned.

"I'm sorry, it was an accident." You mumbled, sheepishly.

Dutch rolled his eyes. "An accident is when you trip over, or fall off your horse. Stabbing a knife in between your fingers, is most definitely not an accident."

You sat there for a few moments. To be fair, he had been very patient with you, all things considered.

He looked at you, a smile beginning to form on his face, "go on, get out of here. But I'm warning you, any more trouble, you'll be on laundry duty for the next month!"

You walked back across to where, most of the boys where still sitting with Lenny.

With a last glance over your shoulder, you looked at Lenny and sniggered.

"Did I get you in trouble?" he asked, apologetically.

You shrugged. "No more than usual, but I've been threatened with laundry duty!"

John walked over, "is that all, usually its extra guard duty shifts."

You frowned, "guard duty, I haven't been asked to do that yet."

John smirked, "sounds to me like the old man, has a soft spot for you."

You rolled your eyes. "spends most of the time scolding me," you huffed.

Sean smirked, "makes a change, its usually me."

"Anyway, I'm gonna have a beer, anyone else?" you quipped, trying to change the subject.

Sean laughed, "sure why not."

John rolled his eyes, "you better not get drunk Kara, or you really will be in trouble."

You frowned, "Why, no one else seems to get in trouble for drinking?"

John chuckled, "because for one, your now the baby of the group, and two, your supposed to be going out robbing with Arthur tomorrow, aren't you?"

You groaned, you had forgotten about another trip out with Arthur. Also you didn't much like the idea of being the baby of anything.

"in that case, I'll be a good girl, and get an early night." you added, as you walked to your tent.

"Good girls are no fun!" Sean yelled after you.

You looked over your shoulder, and winked at him, as you headed to your tent.

Sean stood up, rubbing his hands together, and started to follow you. He'd only got half way across the camp, when he felt a hand on his shoulder.

"I don't think so, Mr Maguire." Dutch advised, as he turned him back the way he had come.

You sniggered as you entered your tent.


	6. Chapter 6

Once again, you fell asleep quickly. Being used to a bedroll on the cold ground, the tent, and the cot were like luxury.

You had occasionally stayed in a hotel, if you were close to a town. But certainly not, in the last couple of months.

When you woke the next morning, and saw Randy's face staring at you from the photo frame, you felt a little guilty.

For the first time in months, you had laughed last night, with Lenny, Sean and Javier. Even if you had got a telling off from Dutch. Although not a very severe one, according to John. You figured that he was going easy on you, because it was all new to you. You hoped it wasn't because he thought of you as the baby. Randy never babied you, if you did something stupid, and hurt yourself, then he reckoned you wouldn't do it again. It was tough love. But it worked. You supposed in a way, it was tough love from Dutch. Especially when that whisky went in the cut.

Still you weren't gonna dwell on yesterday. You would be going out with Arthur again today. Hopefully it would a little more successful.

You decided to make use of the laundry facilities. After all Susan had said, that the women washed the clothes. You quickly stripped off, and hunted around in the trunk. You decided on all black, with a silver waistcoat. This was what you would normally wear, if you went to poker venue, which was a little more high class. You didn't think you would be doing that in the near future, if at all. It seemed a shame, for such nice threads, to be wasted in the bottom of the trunk.

Once you'd changed, you took the dirty clothes around the back of the wagons.

Susan looked up and smiled.

"I was just wondering, where to put my dirty clothes," you asked.

She pointed to a large basket. "Put them in there, if you come back tomorrow, they should be clean. The girls will do any mending, if they need it." she added.

You frowned, you didn't think any of your clothes had holes in at all. When you put your dirty clothes in the basket, you saw a shirt, which had a huge hole in the sleeve.

You raised your eyebrows, "Who does that belong to?"

Susan glanced at the shirt, then she glanced at yours. "That belongs to Arthur, I'm not sure what he does to his clothes. Yours on the other hand, look in perfect repair."

You sniggered, "maybe you should get the men to do the laundry once in a while, then maybe they'd be a bit more careful." you scoffed.

Susan rolled her eyes, but the look on her face, told you that she agreed with you.

As you walked back into the centre of the camp, you spied Arthur leaning against a tree.

He had a journal, and was writing.

"What's that?" you asked him, sitting down cross-legged, in front of him.

He closed it, and shoved it in his satchel.

"Ain't nothin'," he snorted.

"Don't look like nothin'," you smirked, echoing what he had said to you yesterday.

He rolled his eyes, "ok, you got me, its my journal, I write stuff, and draw stuff I've seen."

"What did you write about me,"you sniggered.

Arthur smirked, "that's between me and my journal."

He stood up, and held out his hand, "c'mon, lets get going."

You took his hand, and he pulled you up. His hand was like the rest of him, large. It made your hand look tiny.

He glanced at the bandage on your other hand, "How's your hand," he asked.

You made a fist, a couple of times. "it's fine, I'll take the bandage off later, as long as I don't get into trouble for doing that!" you huffed.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "you seem to have a knack for that. Just as well Dutch has a soft spot for you."

You sighed, "I wish people would stop saying that, I just want to be treated like everyone else!"

Arthur smirked, "I'll remind you of that, when you're pulling extra guard duty shifts!"

"More likely I'll be washing and mending your clothes." you huffed. "By the way, how the hell do you manage to rip you clothes so much." you asked.

Arthur shrugged, "shit happens, better that it be clothes, than me," he retorted, glancing at your hand.

You both walked to where the horses were hitched, and mounted up.

As you rode down the track, you glanced across at Arthur.

"So, what are we doing today?" you asked.

Arthur hummed, "its a stage, might have a couple of guards." he hesitated, "You OK with that, I mean, if we have to shoot 'em?" You looked at the concerned look on his face. "Don't worry Arthur, if someone's got a gun, and is shooting back, then I'm quite happy to kill 'em, if I have to."

Arthur pulled his hat down, so it shaded his eyes, and his face flushed slightly, "I'm sorry about yesterday, I shouldn't have killed that man, it's just...well."

You nodded, "I heard you'd had a bad run, recently. Guess we all have different ways of dealing with shit that happens," you added, you voice breaking slightly.

Arthur sighed, "I'm sorry about Randolph. I lost some folks too. I know it ain't easy."

You felt a lump growing in your throat. "lets find this stage," you suggested quickly.

Arthur nodded, and you both rode on in silence.

The pair of you headed towards Manzanita Post. The road was lined heavily with trees.

Arthur suggested you wait in the trees, until the stage came through.

You didn't have to wait long. As expected, it wasn't just the driver. There were a couple of outriders, and a co-driver, carrying a rifle.

You quickly pulled up your bandanna, and Arthur did the same, and you followed the stage down the road.

At Arthur's signal, you pushed your horses into a gallop, and he yelled at the driver.

"Pull over, this is a robbery!"

The driver, snapped his reins, driving the horses on, whilst the co-driver turned around and started firing at you both. The two outriders, drew their revolvers and started firing as well.

Your heart started beating wildly, in your chest, but you drew your gun, and quickly took out the outriders, whilst Arthur, took out the two men on the stage. With no driver, and the sound of gunfire, the horses spooked. Arthur galloped his horse, level with the stagecoach. He jumped from his horse onto the front seat, and pulled the horses to a halt.

You followed, reining your horse in once Arthur had stopped the stage.

After Arthur had jumped down from the stagecoach, you dismounted, and went to the back, closely followed by Arthur.

There was a lock box on the back, which he broke open, with the butt of his revolver.

Once open, you could see it was loaded with cash.

He counted it out, and handled you a bundle of notes.

"That's your share. Half goes to the camp, and we split the other half." he noted.

You smiled, as you looked at your share. You'd never earned this much before, not even on a good night at the tables. There was about five hundred dollars.

Arthur saw the look on your face, and grinned. "Hope that makes up for yesterday." he chirped.

You nodded, smiling.

"C'mon, lets get outta here, before anyone else turns up." he suggested.

The pair of you rode back to camp, in high spirits.

As you reached the hitching area, you dismounted and hitched your horse, patting her on the neck.

You glanced over at Arthur, "Thank you, Arthur. For taking me out today," you beamed.

"Anytime, little sister," he smirked. "It's good working with you."

He tossed you a bundle of cash, "here, go and put this in the box outside Dutch's tent. It'll make him happy."

You walked over to Dutch's tent, and spied the box, sat on a barrel. There was also a ledger.

Dutch watched you as you walked over.

"At least your haven't returned today, tied up," he smirked.

You grinned, "we had a better day, today."

He stared at you, "how much better?"

You wave the bundle of notes at him. "A thousand dollars better!" you smirked.

Dutch pointed, at your gun, "did you have to use it," he asked.

You nodded, you looked serious. "yeah, there were some guards."

"Are you Ok with that?" he asked.

"Of course, you know I have no issues with using it, in the right circumstances."

Dutch's eyes narrowed, "I hope the right circumstances don't include calling everyone out, who rubs you up the wrong way!"

You looked down at the ground, kicking the dirt, and shook your head, "no, I won't be doing that any more," you mumbled.

Dutch stood up, and walked towards you. Putting his fingers, under your chin, he tilted your head upwards, looking you in the eye.

"I'm very proud of you, Kara. It takes a lot, to realise that you were on a dangerous path. Especially for one as young as you."

You smiled at him. "I probably couldn't have done it alone." You hesitated, "but please don't treat me like a baby," you added.

He put his hands on his hips, and frowned, "just because you need a little extra guidance, don't think I'm treating you like a baby!"

You sighed, "It's just that, when I was with Randy, if I made a mistake and got hurt. Well he'd say it was my own fault, for being so stupid. But I wouldn't make the same mistake again."

Dutch shook his head. "Firstly Kara, I'm not Randolph Masterson. Secondly, I believe in avoiding mistakes where ever possible. Letting people get hurt, so that they learn. Well in my opinion, its a recipe for disaster. We don't work like that around here. Do you understand?"

You bit your bottom lip, and nodded. A little nervous that you'd said the wrong thing again. Dutch was a good man, but he still scared you a little.

Dutch noticed your nervousness, and smiled. "how is your hand?"

You looked at the bandage, "its fine. Can I take this off?"

Dutch shook his head, "come and see me tomorrow, and I'll take a look." he smiled, "I'm glad you and Arthur, seem to be getting along. It will be good for you both. You've worked hard today, I suggest you go and relax."

You walked over to the campfire. Javier was sitting there, playing guitar. You grabbed a beer, and sat on the log, staring into the flames, and listening to the soothing music. Each day that you spent here, seemed to make you feel a little better. You hoped that this feeling would continue.


	7. Chapter 7

As you gazed into the fire lost in your thoughts, you didn't notice that Arthur had sat beside you on the log.  
As the song, that Javier was playing ended, you looked up from the fire, to see Arthur staring at you.  
Arthur half smiled, "are you OK?" he asked.  
You nodded, "I guess," you hesitated, "Arthur, d'ya ever feel happy and sad, at the same time?"  
Arthur hummed and nodded. "Pretty much all the time, the trick is to try to let the happiness win through."  
"Does that work for you?" you asked, frowning slightly.  
Arthur rolled his eyes, "not usually. But sometimes, something or someone helps."  
You felt your face flush, so you turned towards the fire, hoping he would think it was the heat from the flames.  
"I guess I'm still adjusting to having so many people around," you muttered.  
"You're not from a big family then," he paused, "originally?"  
"I was a mistake," you scoffed.  
Arthur shook his head, "You're the best mistake I ever saw!"  
You looked at him and chuckled, "Is that what you wrote in your journal?"  
Arthur put a cigarette in his mouth and used the flames of the fire to light it.  
"No," he said, puffing out blue smoke. "I wrote that you were a reckless little brat!"  
You rolled your eyes, "That's probably about right." you gulped down the last few swallows of your beer.  
Arthur stood up, "you got anything planned for tomorrow?"  
You waved your bandaged hand at him, "Nothing, apart from Dutch ministering to my stupidity." you scoffed.  
Arthur raised an eyebrow, "that's gotta be a first, Dutch ministering to the wounded. He usually leaves that to Susan or Hosea! He must really have a soft spot for you."  
You felt your face turn red. "Oh shut up, not you as well!" you snorted.  
Arthur chuckled, "well how about I take you into town, to get another gun, and a holster?"  
You looked at Arthur, then glanced around. It looked like every single member of the gang, had two guns. If you were gonna stay, which it certainly looked like you were. Then maybe you should have two guns as well.  
You smiled, "Thanks, I'd like that. But maybe we should go in the afternoon when you're a bit less grumpy!" you smirked.  
Arthur grinned, and shook his head as he swiped his hand through the air, knocking your hat to the ground. "You're a cheeky little bastard."  
You picked up your hat, and dusted it off, still smirking. Arthur turned away, and headed to his tent, still shaking his head.  
As you put your hat back on and stood up, you saw that Javier and Sean were staring at you.  
"What!" You exclaimed, "it's true, he is a grumpy bastard in the morning!"  
You headed back to your tent, tonight the happiness had finally won through.  
  
The following morning, you didn't wake, particularly early. It was just as well, that you had arranged to go out with Arthur later. It was early enough so that there was plenty of stew left in the pot. You'd heard the likes of Uncle and Sean, complaining when they had the last scrapings. You did wonder if the pot ever got a good wash out. But to be fair, as you were usually up at a reasonable time, it wasn't high on your list of things to worry about.  
You grabbed a bowl, and filled it with the warm food. Spotting Hosea, sitting at one of the tables, you went to join him. You hadn't seen him for a couple of days. What with being tied up, stabbing yourself in the hand, and going robbing with Arthur. There hadn't been a huge amount of time during the day, for socialising. There were so many people around the camp, that you didn't actually get to see everyone, every day.  
You liked Hosea, though. He was probably the first person here that had been kind, and non-judgemental. If you'd had a grandfather, you liked to think, he would have been like Hosea.  
Hosea, probably wouldn't appreciate that sentiment, but having said that, he was the first to admit he was getting old. Although, if anyone told him that, he would glare at them, as though he had been insulted.

As you sat down, he looked up and frowned.  
"What on earth happened to your hand?" he asked, concern in his voice.  
Before you had a chance to answer, Dutch walked over.  
"She stabbed herself," he interjected.  
"I didn't..." You started to protest until you saw Dutch glaring at you.  
Remembering what he had said, after he almost strangled you, and the look on his face. You decided not to dispute what he was saying. You just looked at your bowl of food and continued eating.  
Hosea, glanced at Dutch, then looked at you.  
"What happened, exactly?" he asked.  
"I was playing five-finger fillet and..." you started, but you were quickly interrupted by Hosea.  
"That game!" he chided. He looked over at Dutch, "you should really ban them from playing it! One day, someone is going to end up losing a finger, or worse!"  
"Oh, I don't think Kara will be playing it again, will you, Kara?"  
You looked at Dutch then at Hosea. You sighed, and rolled your eyes.  
"No, I suppose not!" You huffed.  
Dutch glared at you, "Excuse me!" he warned.  
You felt your heart pounding in your chest.  
"I...I mean, no I won't. I'm sorry." you stammered.  
Hosea, struggled to hide a smirk on his face. While Dutch stood there, with folded arms, looking pleased with himself.  
You finished eating your stew, at least if there was food in your mouth, you couldn't put your foot in it.  
You stood up, time to make yourself scarce, you thought. However, Dutch had other ideas.  
"Where do you think you're going?" He questioned, a frown on his face.  
Oh crap, you thought. What have I done now? You felt your cheeks, heating up.  
"I was just gonna..." you started, but it appeared today, Dutch wasn't going to let you get a word in edgeways.  
"I don't think so. Put the plate down, and come with me. I need to check your hand."  
You felt like your heart was about to explode from your chest. Goodness only knows what was gonna happen now, that would teach you to be so sassy, especially to Dutch.  
You put the plate down, and walked towards him, he put his hand, against the small of your back. Even though it was gently placed, it made you feel intimidated, as he ushered you into his tent.

As you walked in, you saw a woman, sitting on a chair. She was quite pretty, with bright red hair and green eyes. You hadn't seen her before. She was playing with her hair, while trying to look at herself from every possible angle in a small hand mirror.  
She glared at you, when she saw Dutch's hand on your back. It was the first time, you had seen hatred like that in someone's eyes. Even your mother, who didn't really want you, never looked at you like that.  
"Miss O' Shea, can you wait outside, while I speak with Miss Finlay," he commanded.  
You felt like saying something, even with the look she had given you. At least if she stayed, he'd be less likely to lose his temper. But if you said anything, it would likely make things ten times worse.  
The woman got up, and gave both of you a look of disdain, as she left the tent.

Dutch removed his hand, and motioned for you to sit down on the chair, that the woman had just vacated. He sat down opposite you.  
"Give me your hand," he directed.  
As you held out your hand, he noticed it was shaking.  
He held it tightly, steadying it, as he started to remove the bandage.  
"Do I make you nervous, Kara?" He whispered.  
You looked up, and bit your bottom lip, "I...um...sometimes," you stuttered.  
He held your gaze. The bandage was now removed, and as he held your hand, he gently stroked his thumb across the top, where the blade had penetrated your skin, "that isn't my intention," he reassured. His deep voice, had an almost hypnotizing quality, as he continued.  
"I only want what's best for you, I hope you understand that?"  
You nodded. The panic, you had been feeling was slowly beginning to subside, but you would still struggle to get any words out.  
Still holding your gaze, his hand gently moved, so he was holding the underside of your wrist. Dutch gently stroked the top of your wrist with his thumb.  
"I'm glad to see that rope, didn't do any damage," he hummed.  
"N...no, it's fine," you mumbled.  
He finally released your hand and stood up.  
"Good," he boomed, "What are your plans for the rest of the day?"  
You took a deep breath, finally composing yourself.  
"Arthur is taking me into town, to buy another gun."  
Dutch raised his eyebrows and hummed.  
"You better tell him, you need a rifle as well," he stated.  
You frowned, "I've never shot a rifle!"  
Dutch chuckled, "Then you better tell him, that I want him to teach you!"  
You stood up, still slightly confused at what had occurred.  
"Is there something else?" Dutch asked.  
You shook your head. You weren't sure if you should just go, or wait until he said you could.  
"Then get out of here," he smirked, "you can't stay in my tent all day!"  
You scuttled out of the door and headed off to find Arthur.


	8. Chapter 8

You found Arthur, sitting at a table with Hosea on the far side of the camp. They were looking at some papers, and seemed deep in conversation.

You hovered around for a while, until Arthur eventually looked up.

At first he frowned at you, until realisation dawned on his face and he sighed.

"Sorry Kara, I ain't gonna be able to take you into town today, me and Hosea are onto something."

You shrugged, slightly disappointed but it wasn't the end of the world.

"Don't worry Arthur, but when we do go, I'll need to get a rifle. Dutch wants you to show me how to shoot one." you stated.

Hosea looked up at you, then glanced across at Arthur. "Maybe you should go. We can do this later," he suggested.

Arthur shook his head, "I'd like to get this sorted, Hosea."

He looked up at you. "You don't mind do you?"

You smiled at Arthur, he looked like he was really into whatever Hosea was planning.

"Of course not, maybe we can go tomorrow instead," you confirmed.

Arthur nodded, without even looking up.

You rolled your eyes. You were about to walk away, when Micah came charging across.

"Arthur, I need your help!" He demanded.

Arthur looked up and sighed. "Can't you see I'm busy, Micah."

"I need another gun, to rob a stage. Its a big payroll, its coming through in a couple of hours." He blurted, excitedly.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Well take Kara, she knows how to handle herself. She robbed a stage with me yesterday."

Micah scowled at you, then glanced back at Arthur, "c'mon Morgan, I ain't taking her!" he snorted.

You rolled your eyes, but as you glanced past Arthur and Hosea, you saw Dutch come striding across. He'd obviously heard the commotion.

"What's goin' on?" he demanded.

Hosea looked up, "Arthur is working with me on something, could be big. Micah needs an extra gun, and doesn't want Kara."

Dutch looked at you. "Kara, go get mounted up." he demanded.

"Micah, it'll do you good to ride with Kara, get over your little disagreement," he scoffed, as he turned on his heel and returned to his tent.

You walked over to your horse, closely followed by Micah.

"I hope I ain't gonna regret this," he sneered, "glass bottles don't shoot back, stagecoach guards do!"

You rolled your eyes, then mounted your horse.

Micah mounted his horse, and you followed him out of the camp. You hoped you wouldn't regret this.

You rode in silence, every so often Micah would look at you, and scowl.

After about an hour, Micah turned off the road, up a small track. It was a gentle incline, and after a few minutes, you found yourself on a ledge above the road.

"We can watch from here," Micah stated. "Just follow my lead, when the stage comes. There will probably be a few guards." he added.

You nodded, and pulled your bandanna over your face.

When the stage came past, it appeared that there was only the driver, and one guard on board.

Micah kicked on his horse and went galloping down the incline, and chased after the stage coach. You followed his lead.

Unlike Arthur, Micah didn't yell at the driver, saying he was gonna be robbed. He just started shooting. As soon as he did, more riders appeared out of god knows where. They started firing at you both, from behind.

You both turned in your saddle, and took out the riders between you. You then turned your attention to the stagecoach. You shot the guard, and Micah shot the driver.

Unfortunately the horses by this time were well and truly spooked.

You made a decision, and kicked your horse on, much to Micah's surprise.

You had seen Arthur, jump from his horse onto a moving stagecoach, and onto a moving wagon.

How hard could it be, you thought. Once your horse was level with the stagecoach, you made the jump.

Whether it was being so close to the spooked horses, or the smell of blood from the dead driver, you didn't know. As you made the jump, your own horse spooked, unbalancing you. As you went flying through the air, you realised you weren't going to make the jump. You grabbed hold of the first thing in reach, which happened to be the dead driver. As you did, you both toppled from the top of the fast moving stagecoach, landing with a thud on the road. You yelped as you landed, feeling a sharp pain sear through your arm.

As you lay on the ground, clutching your arm and groaning, Micah rode past, ignoring you. The stagecoach had finally come to a halt.

You watched as he broke open the lock box, before, remounting his horse, and riding back to where you were.

You clutched your arm, realising that you had done something pretty serious. You could see a piece of bone, sticking through the material of your shirt, and a damp wet patch on your shirt, which you assumed was blood. The black colour of your shirt, disguising it.

Micah looked down at you, sneering. "You stupid fucking bitch, what were you thinking."

You blinked back the tears, which were pooling, half from pain, half from Micah's comment.

Micah smirked, "Oh, you're not a cry baby as well, are ya?"

You glared at him, "Fuck off, Micah."

You managed to stand, as you gasped, through the shooting pain, which was going through your arm.

Micah extended an arm, "you'll have to ride with me."

You glared at him, "what part of fuck off, didn't you understand," you hissed.

Micah rolled his eyes, "don't be a stupid bitch, you don't have a choice."

You glared at him, "it'll be a cold day in hell, before I come within a mile of you. Now fuck off!" you snarled.

Micah sneered at you, "Stupid fucking whore!" He turned his horse and galloped off.

You took a deep breath, beads of sweat appearing on you forehead. You tried whistling for your horse, but she was nowhere to be seen, so you started to walk. You didn't know how long it would take, but you didn't have much choice. Your eyes started to sting, and became blurry as the sweat ran down you're forehead, into your eyes. You felt bile, rising up in your throat, but you swallowed it back down, refusing to let the pain make you sick.

You staggered on, you had no idea how long you had been walking for, or even where you were walking to. You'd started walking in the direction that Micah had ridden off in. But you were so unaware of your surroundings, you could really have been anywhere.

As you walked along, you thought you heard someone call your name.

"Kara, stop!"

You stopped and looked round, you saw the pure white horse approaching, and looked up.

You squinted, "Dutch?"

Dutch jumped down of the horse, and was standing in front of you.

"Kara, what the hell happened?"

You screwed your eyes close, as another wave of pain passed over you.

"I think I broke my arm." you gasped

Dutch looked closely at your arm. He shook his head. "C'mon, lets get you back home."

You felt his hands grasp you waist and put you on the white stallion. You groaned at the sudden movement. Moments later he had mounted up behind you.

With each movement the horse made you groaned in pain. You began to think that Micah was right, you were stupid.

When the horse finally came to a stop, you realised that you had arrived back at camp. Dutch dismounted The Count, and then lifted you down.

As your feet touched the ground, your legs felt like jelly.

Dutch wrapped his arm around your waist to help support you, as he guided you to his tent, and sat you on his cot.

Hosea and Arthur, followed you and Dutch into the tent.

"We need to get that shirt off," Hosea remarked

Ordinarily you would of protested, at having your shirt taken off, in front of everyone. But it didn't seem to be important to you. All you could think about was the throbbing pain in your arm.

Arthur stared at you, "What the hell where you thinking of?" He shouted.

"Arthur, not now," Dutch interjected.

Arthur shook his head, and left Dutch's tent.

Dutch handed you a glass, with some amber liquid in it.

"Here, drink this, it'll help with the pain" he stated.

You gulped down the liquid. It was harsh, and burned the back of your throat, "Jeez!" you exclaimed, "what the hell is it!"

"Its rum, best thing!" Pearson exclaimed. You hadn't even seen him come in. Susan was standing next to him, a concerned look on her face.

Hosea had taken a closer look at your arm, whilst you were occupied with the rum.

"I think we better cut this shirt off, the bone is snagged on the material," he confirmed.

Susan handed Hosea a pair of scissors. You cried out, your breath coming in gasps, as Hosea cut the shirt, even the slightest moved, sent shafts of pain through your arm. The rum didn't seem to be having any effect, apart from making your head spin. You screwed yours eyes shut, you were panting now.

Dutch grabbed your good hand. "Kara, look at me," he commanded.

You opened your eyes, squinting at him. As you struggled to keep your eyes open.

"Kara, I want you to listen to me very carefully," he demanded. "Now focus on your breathing, and slow it down."

You managed to stop panting, but your breath was still coming in gasps.

Dutch squeezed your hand, "slower," he coaxed, "in...out...in...out."

As you looked at him, you finally managed to get your breathing under control.

"Good," he praised, "now just focus on your breathing, it will help with the pain."

Dutch glanced at Hosea, and nodded.

You looked at Hosea, to see what he was doing. Within a split second you felt Dutch's hand on your jaw, pushing your face back, so that you were once again looking at him.

"No, Kara. Look at me, and focus on your breathing." He commanded.

He nodded towards Hosea again, and at the same time, he let go of your hand, and held you face firmly in both his hands.

Whatever Hosea did, it caused you to let out a blood curdling shriek, as it felt like your whole arm had been plunged into a furnace. Tears came unbidden from your eyes.

"Its done, Kara. It's over. Just breath." Dutch soothed, still holding your face.

He gently let go, as Susan handed him a small bottle. He took off the stopper.

"Drink this," he coaxed.

You took the drink, it tasted worse than the rum. As you swallowed it, you felt dizzy, and you felt your eyelids becoming heavy.

Forcing your eyes to remain open, you glanced at your arm. It was bandaged. You looked surprised, when had that happened.

You felt a hand on your back, and then someone was carrying you. You felt yourself being laid on your cot.

You momentarily opened your eyes, to see Randy's picture looking at you. You looked up.

"Dutch!" you exclaimed, as you saw him leaning over you.

You groaned. "I'm sorry."

You felt Dutch's hand on your forehead, as he gently swept a stray hair from your face.

"I know," he whispered.

Your eyes closed, no longer able to keep them open. As the drug that Susan had given you, coaxed you to sleep.


	9. Chapter 9

You groaned, as you awoke. You felt your arm throb. At least it wasn't the burning pain you had before.

Your arm wasn't the only thing that was throbbing. Your head felt like there was a wild mustang inside, kicking at the inside of your skull, to try and get out.

You hadn't even attempted to open your eyes yet. You felt something wet and cold on your forehead, so you forced your eyes to open.

You were surprised to see Arthur, sitting by the side of your cot. It was dark, apart from a dimly lit lantern, sitting on the side table.

You tried to put your hand, to your head. But Arthur gently pulled it away.

"Easy does it." he whispered gently.

You looked across at you throbbing arm, vaguely remembering what had happened.

"My head hurts," you groaned.

"I'll see if Susan has anything, what about your arm?" He asked.

You closed your eyes, "yeah, that too," you added.

Arthur stood up and left your tent.

It seemed like ages, before he returned. But not with Susan. Another man came into the tent. You'd seen him before, but not spoken to him. Nor did you know who he was. But looking at him, you saw that he was dressed like some sort of priest.

You looked across at Arthur, "I ain't gonna die, am I?" You panicked. Maybe he was here to give you the last rights. You couldn't remember the last time you'd gone to church. In fact, you didn't think you'd ever been.

Arthur chuckled, "No, you ain't gonna die. Reverend Swanson here, he's got some stuff that'll help with the pain."

You stared, as the man brought out a syringe.

You quickly shook your head, you knew what it was. By the man's sallow complexion. and the dark rings around his eyes, you knew that what was in the needle. You also knew that he usually took it himself. You'd seen it before, the look of an addict, when you were a kid.

"No," you screamed, "keep that shit away from me."

"It'll help with the pain," the reverend retorted, as he tried to grab your arm.

You tried to pull it away, but his grip was too strong.

"I said No," you shrieked, "get your fucking hands off me."

You screwed your eyes shut, as the throbbing in your head became more intense.

You felt your arm being released. So you clasped it to your chest. Your breathing heavy, until the panic, began subside.

You felt a hand on your forehead, so you tried to push it away. But it was strong, immovable. Then another hand, firmly but gently pulled your hand away.

You opened your eyes again.

"Dutch?" You squinted. "I ain't taking no morphine," you groaned.

He raised his eyebrows. "Even when you're at death's door, it appears you won't do as your told." he concluded.

You frowned, "Arthur said I wasn't dyin'. I ain't dyin, am I?" You questioned.

Dutch shook his head, "No, you're not. But you are in a bit of a bad way." he replied. "You need to rest. At least do that, and refrain from screaming. We'd all like to get a little sleep!" He added.

You sighed, and closed your eyes. Every so often, you'd feel something cool on your forehead. It helped the headache, but did nothing for the throb in your arm. You didn't know if it was Dutch or Arthur, that sat with you. But eventually you drifted back off to sleep.

The next time you woke, your headache was virtually gone. The throb in you arm, not so much.

When you opened your eyes, you realised it was morning. Sunshine lit up the tent, as it shone through the open door flap. When you had gone back to sleep last night, it had been closed. You guessed someone must have opened it this morning.

That someone, was Hosea.

He sat in the chair, looking at you intently.

When he realised you were awake, he stood up, and put the back of his hand on your forehead.

"You had a slight fever last night, seems to have gone this morning." He hummed.

You winced, as you tried to sit up.

"Here, let me help." he said, as he supported your back, and held you're good arm.

You looked at the bandaged arm. You could see now, that it wasn't just bandaged, it was splinted too. Only up as far as the elbow though, so at least you could move it a little. Not that you felt like moving it much.

"How long do I need that on for?" you moaned.

Hosea rolled his eyes, "as long as it takes to heal. At least a couple of weeks, if not more!" he stated.

Hosea picked up a shirt, that was laying on the side. It wasn't one of yours, and on of the sleeves had been cut down.

"Can't have you in a state of undress!" he commented.

Hosea helped you on with the shirt, he then produced a length of material, that he fashioned into a sling. You had to admit, that it was a lot more comfortable than when you arm was hanging down.

You went to swing your legs over the side of the bed.

Hosea shook his head, "You're not going anywhere, you still need to rest."

Before you had a chance, to interrupt. A shadow appeared in the doorway.

You glanced over to see Dutch.

"If Hosea says you need to rest, then that's what you need to do," he confirmed, narrowing his eyes.

Hosea, looked at you and lifted your legs back onto the bed.

You sighed, and rolled your eyes, which was rewarded with a glare from Dutch.

"Hosea, can you go and get some food for Kara, please." Dutch demanded.

Hosea glanced at Dutch, then looked at you, raising an eyebrow.

You knew you were likely in trouble. How much trouble, you weren't too sure. But as Hosea left the tent, he closed the flap. So you were pretty sure it was a lot.

Dutch sat down in the chair, that was opposite the bed, his arms folded across his chest. He glared at you.

"What in hell's name did you think you were doing, out there?." he yelled.

You sighed, "I don't know, I guess everyone is right, I'm just stupid."

Dutch unfolded his arms, and walked over to the cot. He perched on the edge.

"Who said you were stupid?" he asked.

You shrugged, "Micah, Randy, my Mother." You hesitated, "and probably you. At least if you don't say it, its what your thinking!" you sighed, as you looked down at the cot.

Dutch put two fingers under your chin, and tilted it upwards, so you were looking at him.

"Kara, you're not stupid. Your reckless, but not stupid." he remarked.

You looked him in the eye, "there's a difference!" you scoffed.

Dutch took his hand away, and shook his head. "Yes there is," he stated. "A stupid person, doesn't realise the consequences of their actions, a reckless person, knows full well what the consequences might be, but doesn't care!"

Dutch put his hand on your cheek, "the question is Kara, why is it that you don't care?"

You blinked. However, you avoided having to answer, as Hosea came back into the tent with some food for you.

Dutch stood up, he looked a little annoyed. Whether it was with you, or with Hosea. You weren't quite sure.

Dutch folded his arms across his chest. "At least tell me why you refused to let Micah, bring you back." he demanded.

"Might be something to do with the fact that he called me a bitch, a crybaby and a whore!" You scowled. "oh yeah, and stupid!" you added.

Dutch stopped glaring and his expression softened. He unfolded his arms. 

"Can I at least trust you to stay here and rest, or do I have to have someone sit with you all day, so that you'll do as your told?" he challenged.

You sighed, "I'll stay here. You picked up the spoon and started to eat. You avoided looking at either of the men, instead, you stared at Randy's picture.

Hosea, figuring you wanted to be on your own, left the tent.

You could still feel Dutch's eyes on you, but you refused to look up, until he spoke again.

"Kara?" he began.

"What!" you retorted, flashing him an angry look.

Dutch sighed, "Just...Never mind!" he added, as he left the tent, shaking his head.

You finished eating the stew, and put the plate on the table. You closed your eyes and sighed. Every time anything seemed to be going well, you somehow managed to fuck it up! You were probably better off being on your own. You'd had more trouble, in the last few days, that you ever had when you were by yourself. Maybe, you just weren't cut out to be near people. Maybe you were better off scamming a few dollars, here or there. The sooner you got out of here, the better it would be for everyone. You sighed. That was easier said then down, now you didn't even have a fucking horse!


	10. Chapter 10

You lay on your cot, the pain in your arm hadn't really subsided. You began to wonder if falling into a morphine addiction might not be a good idea. Still the chance had passed you by, and to honest, as sorry as you were feeling for yourself, you knew morphine addiction wasn't really the answer.

You decided to focus on your breathing. It had certainly done something last night. As you lay there, you felt the throb slowly subsiding, as you focussed, and relaxed.

You were brought out of your relaxed state, by screaming. Well to be honest it wasn't actually screaming, it was it was the high pitched shrill yelling of a woman. She was obviously furious with someone.

Although you had promised to stay put, and rest. You curiosity got the better of you, especially when you heard her say your name.

You swung you legs over the side of the cot, and crept to the door of the tent, and peered out.

That's when you saw her, the redhead, who had given you a look of hatred, when you'd gone into Dutch's tent so that he could remove the bandage from your hand.

She was screaming at him

"Oh yes, I've seen you. It's Miss Finlay this, Kara that. Sitting with her until the early hours, when you could have been with me."

Hindsight, is a wonderful thing. If you'd had hindsight, you wouldn't be nursing a broken arm, and you wouldn't have stabbed yourself with the knife. This time, if you hadn't gone to the tent door, Miss Molly O'Shea wouldn't have seen you.

But she did. As soon as she did, her attention turned to you.

"There you are, you little whore," she screamed. "If I see you anywhere near him, I'll break your other arm!"

You backed away from the tent door. You heard Dutch's voice. You could tell by the tone he was angry. It was the same tone he had used, in his tent after you had the shooting competition with Micah.

"That's enough," he yelled. "How dare you call a guest in my camp a whore. You better watch your tongue, Miss O'Shea. Now get out of my sight."

The first thought that entered your mind, was how angry Dutch would be. Because he knew you'd got out of bed. The second thought was, is that what they all thought of you. She'd just called you a whore, Micah had called you the same.

You sat down on the chair, closing your eyes, and pressing the heel of your hand to your forehead.

"Kara? Are you alright?" Dutch asked.

You weren't that surprised that he came in to your tent. What did surprise you, was he wasn't giving you a roasting for getting out of bed.

You looked up, "Yes, I'm sorry. I guess I should have stayed in bed." You apologised.

He hummed. "It probably didn't help, but if I'd heard someone ranting and raving, with my name on the tip of their tongue, I probably would have been curious." he added.

You sighed, "Dutch? Does everyone here, think I'm a whore?" you asked, your voice trembling slightly. "Maybe I should leave, seems like where ever I go, trouble seems to follow."

Dutch stared at you wide eye, a shocked look on his face, one that you hadn't seen before.

"Don't be ridiculous," he scolded, "No one thinks of you like that, well no one that matters," he added.

He smiled, "lets put you back to bed, and no more silly talk about leaving."

Dutch wrapped his arm around your waist, and helped you back over to the cot. He gently lifted your legs onto the cot, and laid you down. Finally covering you with a blanket.

"Now close your eyes, and try and sleep for a bit," he suggested.

You sighed, "Dutch? Would you do something for me?"

Dutch tilted his head slightly, "what is it?" he asked.

You bit your bottom lip, "would you get rid of that for me," you pointed at the photograph, on the table, "and the bag. Its in the bottom of the trunk." you added.

Dutch picked up the photograph, "Kara, are you sure?" he asked, "and the bag, I thought you hadn't looked inside."

You sighed, "I lied, I know what's in it. I was just waiting until it was the right time, to dump it."

Dutch put the photograph on the table, face down. He came and sat on the edge of the cot. He held your hand. "Do you want to talk about it?" he whispered.

You swallowed, "Do you want to know?" she countered.

Dutch smiled, "Only if you want to tell me."

You closed your eyes, for a few seconds then opened them, a sadness veiled your face.

"He was my father. He left us when he found out my mama was pregnant. My mama, always told me I was the biggest mistake of her life."

Tears pricked your eyes, and you blinked them away.

You felt Dutch squeeze your hand, before he lifted it up to lips, and kiss the knuckle.

"Your Mama was a fool, and you daddy, well he was a bigger fool."

You shook your head, "no, I was the fool. Thinking he came back for me, because he cared. Mama was glad to see the back of me. He came back for me, when I was fifteen. He needed a sidekick. Someone to help him win at the tables. I used to sit in a position so I could see the cards, signal whether he should play or fold. He did teach me everything I know. Taught me how to count cards, shoot, pickpocket. He reckoned, they would be less likely to set the sheriff on a young girl, if I got caught. If it ever went wrong, he said it was because I was stupid."

You sighed, "He said I'd be the death of him, looks like he was right about that too."

Dutch let go of your hand, and brought his hand up to your cheek, gently holding it there.

"I want you to listen to me, and listen good. You're not stupid, if anyone was, it was him. You might be a little reckless, but that's only because you don't value yourself, and you should. You're gonna be a big asset to our group. You're young, your bound to make a few mistakes." he stopped, momentarily, to allow you to process what he'd said.

Dutch leant forward, and kissed your forehead. "just no more jumping onto fast moving wagons, at least not for a while." he smiled. "Now rest, and I'll deal with the photo and the bag."

You closed your eyes, and felt wanted for the first time, in your life.

You heard Dutch, pickup the photo, and rummage around in the chest. The last thing you heard was the chest lid closing, followed by the tent flap closing, before you drifted off to sleep.

You weren't sure how long you'd slept for, but you figured it must have been a pretty long time.

The inside of the tent was dim. You figured it was either late afternoon, or early evening.

The tent flap was once again open, allowing a little light in. You looked across at the chair, which was occupied.

"Arthur, what are you doing in here?" you exclaimed.

Arthur chuckled, "someone's gotta keep an eye on you."

You rolled your eyes, "bit late for that!"

Arthur hummed, "you gonna tell me what actually happened, out there?"

"You should ask Micah," you retorted.

Arthur narrowed his eyes. "I'm askin' you."

You pushed yourself up, until you were sitting. Pleasantly surprised that you arm only gave you a dull ache.

"I tried to jump from my horse, to the stage coach. I didn't reckon it would be that hard. Saw you do it twice," you concluded.

"I'm guessing you missed," he smirked.

"It weren't my fault, damn horse spooked," you grumbled. "then the bloody thing ran off!"

Arthur chuckled, "guess she didn't trust ya, how long you had her?"

You shrugged, "couple of weeks! Won her in a hand of poker."

Arthur reached into his satchel, "not much consolation for losing your horse, or breaking your arm." he placed a bundle of notes on the table, beside your cot.

You frowned, "What's that?"

"Your share of the take, from the stage. Micah might be an arsehole, but he knows he wouldn't have got anything, if it hadn't been for you helping to get rid of the guards." He concluded.

"We kinda got ambushed," you added.

Arthur nodded, "he said as much. He was never much good at getting intel." Arthur scoffed. "I just hope he's done his homework this time," he added.

You frowned, "what do you mean?"

Arthur stood up, "Don't you worry, you ain't gonna be doing any jobs for a while, I don't reckon."

Arthur walked over to the cot. "You feeling up to getting up?"

"You ain't trying to get me in trouble, are ya?" you scolded.

Arthur laughed, "You're quite capable of doin' that by yourself. Dutch thought you might like some fresh air, and the boys have been askin' after ya."

You felt your face flush. You looked down, hoping that Arthur wouldn't notice.

"c'mon," he said, helping you to your feet. He smirked, noticing that you had blushed.

He stopped, by the door, grabbing your boots, which you slipped into.

As you stepped out of the tent, Arthur grinned. You soon found out why. Everyone was gathered, clapping.

You looked up at Arthur, "What's going on?" you asked, blushing all over again.

He chuckled, "Its not everyday, we have to go and rescue one of our own, and then nurse them back to health!"

Arthur guided you to the main campfire, sitting you down, on the log.

Javier, winked at you and started to play the guitar. Sean brought you over a beer, whilst Lenny put a blanket around your shoulders, just in case you were cold.

For the first time in a while, you smiled properly. Feeling happy.

You saw Dutch, standing a little distance away. He was holding a glass. He looked at you and smiled, as he raised the glass, you smiled back, before you were distracted, by Karen, Mary-Beth and Tilly. All wanting to know about the missed jump.

Several beers later, you began to feel sleepy. You found yourself leaning against someone's shoulder, almost dropping off to sleep. You lurched awake.

You felt a hand on your shoulder, you looked around, and smiled.

"Dutch!" you exclaimed.

"I think we should get you to bed, don't you?" he suggested.

You nodded.

As you stood up, you staggered slightly, and giggled.

Dutch shook his head, and walked around until he was standing in front of you. He wrapped his arm around you waist, and in one slick movement, he was carrying you bridal style. You giggled, again as he carried you back to your tent. Laughter of the rest of the camp, echoing in your ears.

Once inside your tent, he laid you on the cot. He pulled off your boots, and covered you with a blanket.

You smiled, "thank you," you slurred.

You heard him chuckle. "good night Kara,"

Dutch gently stroked your cheek.

As you closed your eyes, you could have sworn that you felt his lips brush yours. But you were already half asleep, and within seconds it was a distant memory, as sleep took you.


	11. Chapter 11

When you awoke the following day, it was well past dawn. You were thankful that you didn't have a throbbing headache, despite all the alcohol you'd consumed. You were even more thankful, because the pain in your arm, was now only a slight ache.

You pushed the blanket aside, and saw your boots, which had been tidily put in the corner, next to the chest. Your face flushed slightly, as you remembered being too drunk to walk back here. That wasn't the reason for your slight embarrassment. Being put to bed, by Dutch, was. You didn't doubt, that everyone saw you. The best that you could do today, was pretend you didn't remember. Or maybe no one would mention it. You could only hope. More than that, you hoped Molly O'Shea hadn't seen it. Otherwise another scene, would likely ensue.

You opened the tent flap, and looked out. There wasn't a lot going on at first glance, so you walked out. You noticed that the stew pot, was bubbling away. Suddenly feeling hungry, you headed in that direction.

When you got there, you realised, serving yourself up a helping with only one hand, would be no mean feat.

You grabbed a bowl from the pile. You were trying to decide how best to fill it, when you heard footsteps behind you.

"You look like you could use some help?" the man stated.

You turned around. You'd seen him around the camp, but didn't know who he was.

You raised your eyebrows, the man was huge, with a dark complexion.

"Thank you," you said, handing him the empty bowl. "I'm sorry, but I don't know who you are."

"Charles," he grunted, as he handed you back the full bowl.

"I'm..." You started, but he stopped you mid sentence. "I know who you are." he hesitated, "you should probably still be resting."

You hummed, and turned away. Heading towards and empty table. If one more person, told you to rest, you were probably gonna scream.

As you sat there eating your stew, you saw Karen, Tilly and Mary-Beth heading over.

You smiled. They always seemed to cheer you up. The way they gossiped amongst themselves.

"Mornin' ladies," you smirked.

They all sat down, staring at you.

"What's the matter," you quipped, "never seen a girl with a broken arm!"

Karen rolled her eyes, "don't play coy with us Missy, spill the beans."

You frowned, "Seriously, I don't know what your talking about!"

"Only everything! You ride out with Micah, he comes back alone, then Dutch rushes out on his own, brings you back, carries you to his tent, then carries you into yours, and stays with you nearly all night!" Mary-Beth blurted, almost out of breath.

"Not to mention, comes back in the mornin', then Molly has a go at him, then at you!" Tilly added.

"And then, Dutch carries your drunken self to bed last night!" Karen concluded.

You sighed. "Doesn't sound too good when you put it like that."

Karen leant closer, "Have you and Dutch got a thing goin' on? Is that why Molly is so pissed with you?"

"No!" You exclaimed. "I haven't got a 'thing' going on with anyone." you added.

Tilly smiled, "You're so pretty, all the boys want a thing with you, I've heard 'em talking!"

You felt your face flush. "Tilly that's so sweet, but really I haven't even thought about that."

"Who would you choose, I bet you'd choose Arthur," Mary-Beth said dreamily.

You sniggered, "Mary-Beth, I wouldn't dream of stealing your man."

Mary-Beth, blushed. "Sshh, someone might here you."

"Might here you say what?" John asked, as he walked over.

"Now John, you didn't ought to go eavesdroppin' like that," you warned, "you might not hear what you expect." you smirked, "girls were just sayin' how jealous they were of Abigail, having such a handsome man as you on her arm," you teased, as you delicately touched his chest.

John slapped your hand away, "cut it out," he scolded. "If Abigail sees you do that, I'm a dead man!"

The rest of the women, chuckled, "we better get back to work, before Grimshaw finds us." Karen grumbled.

They left you with John, chatting and looking over their shoulders, as they headed back to work.

"So what did they really want?" John asked.

You smirked, "They think I've a got a thing going on...with Dutch."

John tilted his head, "and have you?" he asked.

You hit him in the chest, not hard, but hard enough, "Don't you start! No I haven't! And before you ask, I ain't got a thing goin' on with anyone!"

John chuckled, "they ain't the only ones who think it! Molly ain't too happy with you right now!"

You rolled your eyes, "Mr Marston, did you come over here to gossip, or did you want something?" you smirked.

John held out his hand. "I found something, that belongs to you."

You took his hand, and stood up. He led you towards where the horses were hitched.

"You found her!" You exclaimed, as you clapped eyes, on your horse.

You rushed over and stroked her nose.

"Thank you, John." You beamed, pressing your lips to her soft nuzzle.

John smiled, "Don't thank me, thank Arthur. He told me where to look. He would have gone himself, but he's got some big thing he's planning with Hosea."

You grinned, "I'm gonna call her lucky. She didn't have a name before, but everyone else's horse has a name."

John smirked, looking at your broken arm, "Ain't very lucky if you ask me!"

You stroked her neck. "Maybe not, but I'm lucky that I got her back!"

John shook his head, "you better go back, if Dutch finds you here, he'll like as not kill us both. Don't want his precious little one armed bandit, getting hurt." He scoffed.

You rolled your eyes, "will you just be quiet."

You walked back into the camp. You weren't quite sure what to do with yourself. At least now you had a horse, you could think about going for a ride. At least that was one thing you could do one handed.

You were bored, and that usually meant trouble. Most everyone was out, robbing or scoping out potential leads. It was a bit early in the day to start drinking, even for you. Although the reverend and uncle didn't appear to have any such issues, and were dosing in the sun, after an early start.

You found Pearson, at his wagon. But there was little you could do with just one hand. You went to find, Susan. But the answer was pretty much the same. Apart from she scolded you for not resting. Then you had an idea. You went back to your tent, and put some money in your pocket. You walked to where the horse's were hitched. Checking round, to make sure that no one had seen you. You somehow managed, to saddle up your horse.

You noticed Dutch and Micah's horses, were hitched. But they were no where to be seen, so they must be talking about something, somewhere. Dutch probably didn't even know that John had retrieved your horse.

You managed, with some difficulty to mount up. You headed out of camp, and headed towards Blackwater. One thing you could do with one hand, was play poker.

You walked into the saloon, and saw Joe behind the bar. He looked pretty pleased to see you.

"Kara, are you ok. Ain't seen ya since you walked out of here with that gent." he looked at your arm in a sling. "Has he been treating you ok?" he frowned.

You chuckled, "sure has Joe, he's a good man. Broke this falling from my horse, she's a bit of a spooky one."

Joe nodded, and put a glass on the bar, "your usual?" he asked.

You nodded, "and you better make it a double, I'm feeling lucky today," you smirked.

Once he had poured the drink, you wandered over to the poker table, and sat down.

The men at the table, weren't the usual crowd, and they eyed you up and down. However, your money was good, so they didn't complain.

You started to play.

You'd played about four hands, you'd folded twice, and won the other two hands. To be honest you were here to enjoy the game, and to alleviate the boredom, rather than win big.

They were about to deal the next hand, when you glanced out the window, to see a rather angry looking Dutch, with Charles, the man who had helped you with the stew.

You only really had two options, carry on playing or try and hide. You didn't think hiding was much of an option. You really didn't know how the hell he had found you. You hadn't given anyone the slightest hint, of what you intended to do. But if he'd found you the first time, then you were pretty sure, he'd find you again, with little or no difficulty.

You sat and carried on playing. You didn't even look round, when he walked in the door.

He walked up behind you, and put a hand firmly on your shoulder.

"Kara, time to go." he commanded.

You looked at your hand, you were damn sure you were gonna win the pot.

You turned your head to look at him. "But..." you started.

He narrowed his eyes, his face had started to flush. He looked furious.

"I said, time to go!" He growled.

One of the cowboys, at the table sniggered. "Best you do what your daddy says, sweetheart!"

That seemed to fuel Dutch's rage even more, they thought he was your father. It was at that point, you realised how vain Dutch was. It all made perfect sense. The way he dressed, the horse he rode. But more than that, how his anger erupted, when someone disagreed with him, or disrespected him.

You weren't sure whether to put the cowboy right, or just throw your cards in. You didn't want to make him any angrier, so you decided to just throw in your cards.

You pocketed your winnings. "Thank you gentlemen, always a pleasure," you smiled.

You gulped down your drink, and stood up. You waved to Joe as you left the saloon, with Dutch's hand, still clasped firmly on your shoulder.

Joe nodded, looking a little concerned, but then, it wasn't really any of his business.

Once you were outside, Dutch spun you round so that you were facing him.

"What the hell do you think you're doing." he growled.

You looked at him, before answering. By the look on his face, now wasn't the time to be flippant.

"I was bored, I thought playing a bit of poker, would pass the time." You replied.

Dutch roughly grabbed your chin and held it firm, so that you had to look at him

"You stay in camp, from now on, unless I tell you otherwise. Am I clear," he growled.

"Crystal," you replied dryly, holding his eye contact.

This seemed to anger him even more.

Dutch let go of your face, "Now get back to camp." he growled. He glanced over at Charles, "make sure she gets back, I'll deal with her later."

Charles nodded, and helped you onto your horse. You weren't quite sure what his problem was. You guessed you would find out later.

In the meantime, you watched him, as he mounted The Count, and rode into the centre of Blackwater.

When you arrived back at camp, Charles helped you off of Lucky. You gave her a pat.

Charles grabbed your arm.

"What the hell are you doing, Charles," you snapped, trying to shrug him off, albeit unsuccessfully.

Charles looked a little sheepish. Not used to being the enforcer. "I've got to take you to your tent, and make sure you stay there." He explained.

"What!" You retorted, "Why?"

"Dutch's orders," he barked, pulling you by the arm.

It was pointless to try and struggle. You were injured, and Charles was much stronger than you anyway.

As he dragged you across the camp, you saw Arthur and Hosea, sitting at the table.

"Arthur...Hosea," you yelled, "What's going on?"

They didn't answer, just stared at you.

Charles manhandled you into the tent.

"Don t try and come out, he warned, "I've been told to keep you inside, using whatever means necessary."

You stared at him, "Jesus Christ, Charles. It was only a fucking game of poker."

He left the tent, and closed the flap. You could see his silhouette, through the material of the tent. Noting that he had drawn a weapon. You shook your head. You guessed you were under some sort of house arrest.

If it hadn't been for the fact you had a broken arm, you guessed that you might even have been tied up.

Annoyance quickly turned to anger, You yelled at the tent flap as loud as you could

"Fuck you then!"

You took off your gun belt, and chucked it on the chair. You laid on your cot. There wasn't much else you could do, until Dutch returned. Then you would find out what cardinal sin you had committed this time.


	12. Chapter 12

You'd only been laying on your cot for about ten minutes when another shadow appeared outside the door flap. You got up from the cot, not prepared to be laying down, and vulnerable when Dutch came in.  
When the door flap opened, you were surprised to see Micah walk in. You weren't surprised, however, to see a sneer on his face.  
"What the fuck do you want, Micah," you growled.  
"You stupid fucking Bitch," he growled, as he backhanded you across the face, sending you sprawling onto the floor.  
You glanced at the chair, where you had put your gun belt.  
He sneered, "don't even think about it, bitch!"  
You felt fluid running down the corner of your mouth. You wiped it away with your thumb, then looked at your thumb. You didn't need to look, you knew it was blood. It was just a force of habit. Plus you could taste the iron on your tongue, when your tongue automatically found its way to the cut.  
"What the hell is wrong with you?" you screamed at him.  
He took a step towards you, as he did, you remembered the knife that you always kept tucked in your boot. 

Randy, your father. Even when you found out he was your father, you always called him Randy. That was his idea, always keep an extra weapon hidden, for emergencies. He might have been a bastard, but he was a clever bastard.

You pulled the knife out of your boot, and pointed it at him.  
"Don't think I won't use this, Micah. It would give me great pleasure to see your guts spilling out on the floor."  
Micah stopped, dead in his tracks. His face flushed with anger.  
"If it wasn't for Dutch, you'd be dead already," he snarled.  
You rolled your eyes, "no doubt, probably by the side of the road, after you left me."  
Before he could say anything, or do anything, the tent flap flew open.  
  
Arthur Morgan stood in the doorway. He took one look at you on the floor, blood still seeping out of your broken lip, then he looked at Micah.  
"What the hell!" he exclaimed. He grabbed hold of Micah, swung him around. As you watched, his fist made contact with Micah's face, sending him flying out the door of the tent.  
"Get outta here, you piece of shit. Dutch said to keep her in the tent, not knock nine barrels outta her," he growled.  
Arthur came back into the tent. Seeing the knife in your hand, he put his hands up in mock surrender.  
"Are you ok?" he asked.  
You glared at him, "I asked you for help earlier, and you ignored me. Now you think you can come in here, like a knight in fucking shining armour!"   
Arthur lowered his arms, "I was..." He started, but you interrupted him.  
"Yeah, you were just following the high and mighty Dutch Van Der Linde's orders. Well, I ain't interested. You can just fuck off with the rest of 'em." You snarled.  
Arthur sighed and turned away. Leaving you alone in the tent. As he left, he closed the tent flap behind him.  
  
You got up from the floor and sat on the cot. You could feel the heat in your face, where Micah's hand had made contact. Your arm was also now throbbing a little.  
You heard raised voices, outside your tent. You couldn't work out who they were, or what they were saying, but you could still see the silhouette of Charles outside the door.  
You stood up and put your gun belt back on. The next person who tried anything was likely to get a bullet in them.  
You decided to lay back down on the cot. Before you did, you drew your gun from the holster.  
You laid down, with your gun in your hand, resting across your stomach. Now it was just a case of waiting to see who wanted to try their luck next.  
  
It was about an hour later when the tent flap next opened. If Arthur had told them to give you some space, until you had calmed down, then he didn't know you very well. You were still angry.  
You weren't exactly sure who you expected, but as soon as you saw the tent flap move, you sat up and pointed your gun at the door.  
  
Dutch walked into the tent.  
"I hope you aren't intending to shoot me," he questioned, nonchalantly.  
You narrowed your eyes, "come any closer, and I just might," you snarled.  
Dutch held his hands up, "we need to talk, Kara." He stated.  
You rolled your eyes, "that's rich. You have me manhandled into my tent, put an armed guard on the door, then send one of your goons in to beat me up, and now you want to talk!" You scoffed.  
Dutch looked at your face, focussing on your split lip.  
"I'm sorry about that, I didn't ask anyone to do that. Micah can be..." You interrupted him.  
"Micah is a fucking twat, you need to put him on a leash." you huffed. "Now I suggest you turn around and leave me the hell alone."  
Dutch narrowed his eyes. You could see by the look on his face, that he was beginning to lose his temper. He took a step forward.  
As he did, you cocked the hammer on the gun. Within seconds, Charles was in the tent, with his sawn-off shotgun, pointing it at you.  
"Don't be an idiot," Dutch growled, "shoot me, and you'll be dead in seconds."  
You released the hammer, and holstered your gun. You knew that this was true. You were in Dutch's camp, surrounded by his men. Whatever happened, you knew that they were fiercely loyal. Even the women. In a way, especially the women. You wondered if he expected that from you.  
Dutch, looked over his shoulder, giving Charles a knowing look. Charles immediately obeyed and slipped back out of the tent.  
"Listen," he sighed. "There's something big, gonna go down in Blackwater. I told everyone, to stay away from town."  
You raised your eyebrows, "everyone!"  
"No," he admitted, "But I wasn't expecting you to go off riding, least of all into Blackwater."  
You narrowed your eyes, "and that gives you the right, to put me under armed guard in my tent, did it never cross your mind, to just tell me, outside the saloon!"  
Dutch took another step towards you, his hands on his hips. He was now at the edge of the cot, slightly leaning over you.  
"Riding into Blackwater was reckless and stupid," he growled.  
You glared back, "So was not telling me not to go there," you countered.  
Dutch went to put his hand near your face, but you swiped it away.  
"Don't...Don't touch me," you growled.  
He took a step back. "I'll send one of the girls in to check on your face."  
"Don't bother," you retorted, "I'll be out of your hair soon enough."  
Dutch shook his head. "I'm sorry Kara, I can't let you go anywhere, not until after the Blackwater job. Promise me you won't try and leave, otherwise..." He stopped, just staring at you.  
You sighed, "fine, I'll stay put. But once you're done in Blackwater, I'm outta here."  
He stood there for a few seconds, which seemed like minutes, just staring at you, holding your gaze, expressionless. Until you looked away. Then he turned and silently left the tent.  
You took off your gun belt, for the second time, and put it onto the chair.  
Returning to the cot, you laid down, tilting your hat over your eyes, you closed them.  
Your stubbornness, took hold of all common sense. If he wanted you to stay here, then here you would stay.  
  
Even though your eyes were closed, you didn't go to sleep. Self-preservation kicking in, most probably. After Micah trying to beat you up, Charles pointing a gun at you, and knowing what Dutch was capable of, when he flew into a rage. Sleep wasn't going to come easily.  
When you heard the tent flap move, you tilted your hat back, to see who it was.  
You were surprised to see Karen.

Of all the girls, you probably liked her the best. She wasn't afraid to tell it how it was. But to be fair, you weren't particularly in the mood for company.  
Karen smiled at you, "Dutch asked one of us to check your face, he said that oily turd, Micah, clobbered you. Are you ok?"  
You touched your face, it stung a bit. Likely you would have a bruise tomorrow. The cut on your lip had at least stopped bleeding, and the throb in your arm, had dulled to just a dull ache.  
"I'm fine Karen," you sighed.  
"You sure," she countered, "I can get you some food if you want."   
You shook your head. "Ain't really hungry."  
Karen pulled a bottle of whisky from her pocket. "How about a drink," she smirked.  
You rolled your eyes, but held out your hand.  
Karen passed you the bottle, and you took a coupled of gulps, before passing it back.  
"You can keep it, if you want," she offered.  
"Nah, you're fine." You replied.  
Karen took the bottle back, "You ain't really gonna leave, are ya?"  
You nodded, "As soon as Dutch lets me, I'll be gone. Guess that'll be after he's done, whatever he's doing in Blackwater."  
Karen looked down, she looked upset. "Wish you'd change your mind, your the best thing that's happened around here in ages."  
You sighed, and threw your legs over the side of the cot, so you were sitting upright. You patted the cot, motioning for Karen to sit next to you.  
"I like you Karen, and the rest of the girls. But I've had more shit happen to me, in the small space of time I've been here. Than I have in the rest of my life. If I stay, I'll probably be dead before I know it." You sniggered, "probably by Dutch or Micah. Seems I have an ability to piss the pair of 'em off, quite easily."  
Karen, looked at you and smirked. "I shouldn't be sayin' this. But I think Dutch likes you, quite a lot. It's why he gets so angry with ya."  
You shoved Karen in the arm. "That's only because you've got a thing in your head about it." You sniggered.  
Karen smiled at you.  
You put your arm around her. "I will miss you though."  
Karen stood up and headed for the door. "You sure I can't get you somethin' to eat," she asked.  
You shook your head, "I ain't got much of an appetite now.   
Karen left the tent, and closed the flap behind her.  
The sun was beginning to go down, giving the tent a warm glow. You took off your hat and your boots, and decided to call it a day.  
As you lay down on the cot and closed your eyes, you wondered if Karen had asked you to stay because she wanted you to, or if someone else had asked her to try to persuade you. With that thought in your mind, you closed your eyes and drifted off to sleep.


	13. Chapter 13

When you woke the following morning, you lay there for a while, trying to decide what to do next.

Your face felt swollen and tight. Which you thought, probably meant that it was.

A quick check in a mirror, which was in the corner of the tent, confirmed what you already knew.

Your jaw was swollen and bruised, with the beginning of a black eye.

You pulled on your boots, and opened the tent flap.

It must have been later than you thought, as Pearson had put the stew out for the day.

You walked out the tent, and headed in the general direction of the pot.

You weren't quite sure if people were staring at you, because of what had happened yesterday, or whether it was the swollen face and black eye. To be honest, you didn't really care.

After you'd struggled to fill the bowl with one hand, you walked back to your tent.

Dutch, Hosea and Arthur were sitting at a table. You could feel all three of them looking at you, but you didn't even look in there direction.

You will still pissed at them. But you needed to eat. You also needed to show everyone, that you couldn't be pushed around. Well, as much as you could.

When you returned to your tent, you put the stew on the table, and walked over to your satchel, that was hanging over the back of the chair. You dug around in side, until you found the book. It was the only book you possessed, Tom Sawyer. You'd stolen it, from a store when you were about twelve. It was the first thing you ever stole. It always made you chuckle to yourself. Of all the things you could have stolen, you stole a book. You took off your boots, and walked back to your cot, and sat down. One leg dangling down the other on the cot. You propped the book open, and grabbed the stew. Eating and reading at the same time always relaxed you. Especially reading this book. It reminded you that life could be simple, well for some.

You sat on the cot, with your back to the tent entrance. When you heard the tent flap, you didn't even bother to look.

You were stuck in a place you didn't want to be, with people you didn't want to be with, on the whole. Why should you care, who was coming in your tent.

"Kara? I need to look at your arm," Hosea coaxed.

You sighed heavily, "Why?"

He walked over and put his hand on your shoulder. As he did you stiffened.

Hosea, being a gentlemen, immediately removed his hand.

"After yesterday, with Micah. I just need to make sure its ok." he said, some concern in his voice.

You put the barely eaten bowl of stew on the table, and turned around to face Hosea. Whether he hadn't got a proper look at your face when you walked past, or it hadn't looked that bad from a distance, you didn't know. But as you turned to face him, his brows knitted together, and whistled through his teeth.

He quickly went to the tent flap and yelled out the door.

"Arthur, go and find Susan, I need supplies for bruising, swelling and cuts." He paused, "and hurry up."

Hosea turned to where you were sitting.

"Let me see your face." he demanded.

Hosea started to feel along your jawline with his fingers. Every time he pressed, you winced. He then looked closely at your eye, then you lip.

He shook his head. "Your lucky," he said, scowling.

You rolled your eyes, "Really, 'cos I don't feel it," you replied, wincing slightly at the movement of your jaw, required when you talked.

Hosea glanced at the bowl of stew, which had hardly been touched. "Trouble eating?"

You nodded. Finding it easier not speak.

Arthur walked in with the medical supplies, which Hosea had requested.

Hosea picked up the bowl of stew that was on the table.

"Put them there, Arthur. Now take this, and ask Pearson to pulverise it."

Arthur frowned.

Hosea rolled his eyes, "grind it down, with a mortar and pestle. She can eat anything that needs to be chewed right now."

Arthur stared at you, he looked shocked, seeing Micah's handy work up close.

"Arthur!" Hosea repeated, his voice raised.

Arthur took the bowl and headed towards the door.

"Oh, and Arthur, you better get Dutch in here too."

"No!" you yelled, then suddenly held your face. "Fuck," you grumbled, under your breath.

Hosea sighed, "I'd advise you not to talk. It is only bruised, but its gonna be painful for a few days."

He looked over at Arthur, and whispered, "get Dutch."

Arthur nodded at Hosea, and left the tent.

You scowled, if you could get hold of Micah Bell right now, you would kill him.

"Open your mouth, a little," Hosea requested, "I need to check inside."

You opened your mouth, as wide as you could, which actually wasn't very wide at all.

Hosea, put his forefinger inside, and felt along the inside of your cheek, then along the gum line.

"Any pain inside?" he asked.

You shook your head.

Hosea smiled, "Well at least that's some good news."

He stood up, and slipped your arm out the sling, checking the splint and the bandages.

"Any pain?" he asked.

"A little, earlier," you whispered, hardly opening your mouth.

He slipped your arm back in the makeshift sling. As he did, Dutch appeared in the doorway.

"You wanted me Hosea," Dutch huffed.

Hosea took a step back from the cot.

Where he had been standing, had blocked Dutch's view of you.

"I thought you might like a close up view of Micah's handy work!" Hosea ranted.

Dutch stepped closer, and stared in horror at your face. It was obvious to you, that he hadn't seen it properly, when you had walked past earlier.

"Fuck!" he cursed, under his breath.

Dutch looked at you, sympathetically."I'm so sorry, Kara."

You blinked, and just looked at him. A blank expression on your face.

Hosea scowled, "Don't expect an answer Dutch, she can barely open her mouth,"

Hosea reached across, and grabbed some of the supplies, which Arthur had brought in. He bathed the cut on your lip, and applied some balm to your jawline.

"This should hopefully ease the swelling. Just try not to open your mouth too much, for a couple of days." Hosea advised.

Hosea, stood up, taking the medical supplies with him, as he passed Dutch he stopped.

"You need to sort that man out, he's gonna kill someone if we're not careful!" Hosea Hissed.

As Hosea left the tent, Arthur returned with a bowl of something. He passed it to you.

You put a little in your mouth, it was almost liquid, but it tasted foul. You passed it back to him and shook your head.

"I'll get rid of it, not sure what else there is," he said, apologetically.

Arthur stood there for a few moments, until Dutch looked at him.

"Arthur, son. Can you give me a few minutes. Please." he requested.

Arthur nodded, and walked out the tent.

Dutch pulled a small silver hip flask, out of his pocket, and passed it to you.

"Try this," he suggested. "It might help the pain."

You took the flask, and took a sip. It was brandy. A very good brandy.

You passed the flask, back to Dutch, but he clasped both of his hands around yours.

"Keep it," he whispered. "Its the least I can do. I hope you believe me, when I tell you I never meant for this to happen."

You closed your eyes, took a deep breath and nodded.

He stood up, "You should get some rest. I'll look in on you later," he hesitated, "if that's ok?"

You nodded, and put the flask on the table. You moved the book from the bed, and placed it on the table as well.

Dutch glanced and the book, and smiled. He then headed toward the door, glancing back to check on you, before he left.

You lay down on the cot and closed your eyes. After all the pulling about, your jaw was beginning to feel sore. The brandy had helped a little, but most of all had just made you sleepy. You closed your eyes, and drifted off into a half sleep.

When you next awoke, you were surprised to see Dutch sitting in your tent. He had pulled the chair close to the cot.

"How are you feeling?" he asked, tentatively.

"Hungry," you mumbled, trying to keep your jaw, as still as possible.

He nodded, stood up, and slowly walked to the door. You noticed now that the door flap was open. You wondered how long he had been sitting there for.

"Mr Pearson," Dutch yelled.

Dutch came and sat down. "I think we may have found something you can eat, that's a bit more edible that pulverised stew!"

You sat up, adjusting your position, with your uninjured arm.

As though he was reading your mind, Dutch passed the hip flask to you. Your lips curved, in half a smile, your eyes, saying thank you in a way your mouth could not.

You took a couple of sips of brandy, and passed the flask back to him.

You glanced at the door, as you saw Pearson walking in, with a bowl of something. It actually smelled quite good, whatever it was.

He'd also managed to find a smaller spoon.

He handed it to you, it was warm. You took a taste. There was definitely a flavour of apple, and some other fruit, but also a savoury flavour. Some sort of meat, you weren't sure what. To be honest, you didn't really mind. You were starving hungry, it tasted good and it was warm. Also it required no chewing.

You quickly consumed the bowl of food, and handed the empty bowl, back to Pearson. He had a strange expression on his face. He quickly turned around and left the tent.

You laid back down, you couldn't understand why you were so tired.

Then, it suddenly dawned on you, as your eyelids began to feel heavy.

You looked at Dutch, "What have you done?"

Dutch stroked you're forehead. "It's for you own good, it'll help with the pain, and the healing. I don't want you to be in any pain."

You tried to keep your eyes open. As you did, you saw Hosea walk into the tent.

"Did she take it?" he asked.

Your vision started to Blur. The last thing your heard was Dutch's voice.

"Yes she did, but I'm not happy about this Hosea!"


	14. Chapter 14

You were cold. Not just a little bit, but freezing. You were shivering. You slowly opened your eyes. You were wrapped in a thick blanket, and covered by a wolf skin. But you were still cold, and your head was throbbing. You weren't in the tent any more, either.

You looked around it was dark, apart from a fire.

Susan Grimshaw, walked over to where you were huddled.

"Tilly," she shouted, "Kara is awake, help get her over to the fire."

"What happened, where am I?" you croaked.

Susan shook her head, "Someone will explain later, for now just sit by the fire, we need to get you warmed up."

Tilly helped you to the fire, and grabbed another blanket, to wrap around your shoulder.

You glanced over and saw Hosea, in a big overcoat, huddled by the fire.

"Hosea, what did you do to me?" you asked, confusion in your voice.

Hosea looked at you, "I'm sorry Kara, but it was for your own good. How is your mouth."

You opened and closed it, then remembered how it felt last time.

You frowned, "Its fine. How long have I been out for?"

Hosea sighed, "About four days. You probably have a headache."

Susan walked over and handed you a mug of hot coffee.

"Here, this should help warm you through." She whispered.

You looked at the drink suspiciously.

Susan smiled, "don't worry dear, it isn't drugged or anything," she glared at Hosea, and walked away.

You sipped the coffee, and felt the warm liquid start to heat your insides.

"What did you give me, Hosea? Whose idea was it?"

Hosea rubbed his hands together, and held them out towards the flames, in an attempt to keep warm.

"Laudanum, its why you have a headache. My idea. Dutch and Arthur, weren't too happy."

You shook your head, "Ya know Hosea, you were the one person I really trusted." You snorted.

Before Hosea had a chance to reply, the doors burst open. Arthur and Dutch walked in, with a woman, wrapped in a blanket.

You watched as Tilly put her arm around the woman, and took her into another room.

You glanced back to see Susan talking to Dutch and Arthur, in a lowered voice.

While you couldn't hear what she was saying, she was looking over at you, as were Dutch and Arthur.

Dutch and Arthur walked over to where you were sitting by the fire.

"C'mon Kara, come with me." Dutch soothed.

You shivered, can I sit by the fire for a bit, I'm so cold," you asked, still a little confused.

Arthur took off his heavy overcoat, and draped it around your shoulders.

"Don't worry, there's a fire in the other cabin. We'll find you something to eat, as well"

The two men helped you stand, your legs felt like jelly. They supported you one either side, as you walked through the snow, to a smaller cabin on the other side.

Once inside, they closed the door. There was a roaring fire, already lit.

They both guided you to the fire, and sat you on a chair, that was placed in front of the fire.

Arthur started to heat up a can of beans.

"We ain't got much food, but you haven't eaten for days. So I guess you need it more than most." Arthur confirmed.

You looked at Dutch, who nodded.

"Go on, you eat it. I'm sure Mr Pearson will get some food underway, as soon as he can."

You started to eat the food, straight from the tin. After you'd finished half of it, you look between the two men.

"What happened? I know Hosea drugged me, but I don't know why." You asked.

Dutch sighed, "You were hurt quite badly, when Micah hit you. Worse than Hosea originally thought. Then the Blackwater job, well it went wrong, badly wrong. We had to get out of there, and fast. You were only supposed to be out for a day or so, but we've been running for three days."

You nodded, and finished eating the food. If you hadn't eaten for four days, no wonder you felt as week as a kitten.

You were already starting to feel a bit warmer.

Dutch, took your hand in his. "There's something else." he said, his voice breaking slightly.

You looked at him, waiting for what he was about to say.

"We all have a big bounty on our heads now. The Pinkertons are on our trail. I know you haven't done anything wrong, and I know you wanted to leave." he hesitated. "But they saw you with me in Blackwater...twice."

You stared at Dutch, and shook your head. "No, that's not fair, I haven't done anything," you cried.

Dutch squeezed your hand, "I know, and I'm sorry."

Arthur put his hand on your shoulder, you looked up at him, tears shimmered in your eyes.

"Don't worry Kara, we'll look after you, I promise." Arthur soothed.

You shook your head, "I don't believe this is happening," you said, your voice breaking.

"C'mon Kara, you should get some rest. Proper sleep. There's a bed setup for you in the other room." Dutch soothed.

You stood up. Still a bit wobbly. Dutch wrapped his arm around your waist, and helped you into the room with the bed. 

You lay on the bed, tears trickling down your cheeks. Unable to process what you were being told.

Dutch covered you with a blanket, and then with the wolf skin.

"I really am sorry," he comforted. He removed his glove, and gently put his hand on your face, wiping the tears away with his thumb.

"What gonna happen to me, Micah hates me. Given the chance, he'll probably kill me." You shuddered.

"Hush now," Dutch whispered. "He knows not to touch you, I told him, your under my protection. If he touches you, it will be the last thing he does."

Dutch leant over and gently kissed your forehead. Now sleep. If you need anything, I'm just next door."

You watched him walk towards the door, and walk out the room, closing the door behind him.

You lay there in the dark, processing the information you had just been given.

So that was it, you were now a proper outlaw, with a bounty on your head. Any plans for leaving the gang had been dashed. Arthur had promised he would look after you, Dutch had promised to protect you. You weren't sure.

You closed your eyes. You were tired. The four days you had been out for, hadn't been proper sleep. Despite the cold, you drifted off to sleep. Not really knowing what the future would hold for you.

When you woke, it was morning. It was still cold though. You looked across the room, and saw a pile of clean clothes on an old chair. Most of them were yours, with the exception of a shirt and a coat. You figured that meant that at least your clothes had been saved when the rest of the gang fled. The shirt and the jacket, you guessed belonged to one of the men, but you needed the extra size, so that it would fit over the splint on your arm.

You quickly got dressed in the clean clothes, putting your arm back in the sling, you managed to put the coat on, over the top of your arm. It was very warm, with a fur lining. You wondered who it belonged to.

When you opened the door, Dutch and Hosea, were sitting by the fire, talking.

They immediately stopped, when they saw you, which made you suspicious.

Hosea looked at you, "How are you feeling,"

you glared at him."Fine," you snapped.

You still couldn't believe he had drugged you.

Arthur walked out of one of the other rooms. Seeing the look that you were giving Hosea, he walked over to you.

"C'mon Kara, I'll take you over to Pearson, and see if he's got any food."

Arthur offered you an arm, which you gladly took. You were still a bit wobbly on your legs. You figured it might take a little while before you started to feel normal again.

As you walked out the door, you looked around.

"Where the hell are we?" you exclaimed.

Arthur shivered, "up in the Grizzlies. Lucky we found this place or we might have all frozen to death."

You both walked across to a lean to, which Pearson had converted into a makeshift kitchen.

"If you're after food,"Pearson Grumbled, "its in the pot, but there isn't much meat in it."

Arthur walked over to the pot, and ladled some of the stew, if it could be called that, into a couple of bowls. He handed one to you, and you started to eat.

Pearson glanced at your, "listen Kara, I'm sorry about..."

You interrupted him, before he could finish.

"You don't have to apologise, Hosea on the other hand..." you didn't finish the sentence.

You looked across the compound, to see Charles heading towards you and Arthur.

You stiffened, the last run in you'd had with Charles, was at the end of his sawn off shotgun.

Arthur, put an arm around you. "He was only following orders, he's not like Micah." he whispered.

Charles looked you up and down, "I'm glad the coat fits," he commented.

You were surprised, to say the least. "Is it yours?" you asked.

Charles smiled, "an old one, thought it was the least I could do...after..." his voice trailed off.

You smiled back at him, "Thank you."

Charles looked at Arthur, "Hosea and Abigail are looking for you Arthur, something about John."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Ok, I'll go see what they want."

Charles looked back at you, "Let me help you back inside, its too cold for you to be out here, winter coat or not," he added.

He offered you his arm, which you took as he led you back to the cabin.

The chair by the fire, where Hosea had been sitting was empty, so Charles helped you to sit there.

Dutch was still sitting in the other chair, gazing into the flames. He smiled when he saw you with Charles. Probably glad, that the two of you had made some sort of peace.

Charles nodded at Dutch, and left the cabin.

Dutch reached into his pocket and pulled out a book, which he handed to you.

Looking at it, you couldn't help but smile. It was Tom Sawyer.

"This is the first thing I ever stole," you hesitated, "what a fool, stealing a book when I could have stolen anything. I'm glad you managed to save it though." You added.

"Nothing foolish about reading," Dutch chided. "Maybe you should read more than just one book though."

You nodded, "maybe."

Dutch reached into his pocket again, "I was gonna give you this, before everything happened. Blackwater...Hosea!" His voice cracked slightly, as he handed you another book.

As you took the book, you grinned as you looked at the title, "The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn," you read aloud.

"Thank you, Dutch. It might stop me getting into trouble," your face flushed slightly.

Dutch chuckled, "we can only hope."

He stood up, "I'll leave you to read, I have things to organise, plan."

You watched him as he walked out the door. You shook your head. You couldn't work him out, not for the life of you. One minute, he was giving you gifts, and advice. The next minute he was trying to kill you. Or at least, letting his men kill you.

You were still worried about Micah, but you put it to the back of your mind, and opened the book.

You could escape, for a little while. Even if it was only through the pages of a book.


	15. Chapter 15

You hated every single day that you were in the mountains. The only consolation you had was your book, and the fire.

You spent everyday avoiding Micah and Hosea. For different reasons, but kind of the same. Although Dutch had said he would protect you. You still didn't trust that Micah wouldn't try and kill you. You felt it was partially your own fault, because you had made him look stupid, when you were shooting the bottles. You didn't think he'd ever forgiven you for that. Hosea, on the other hand had been kind, until the night he had drugged you. Now you didn't trust him either.

Arthur, who you did trust always seemed to be off doing things. Either rescuing John from a pack of wolves, or hunting with Charles, or riding with Dutch and everyone else, whilst he put his many plans into action. At least when Dutch was out with the boys, you didn't have to worry about Micah.

But Hosea was always there. He didn't go off with Dutch and the other boys, when they raided the O'Driscoll camp, or when they robbed the train.

You hadn't heard of the O'Driscolls, until you arrived on the mountain.

The poor woman, who Dutch and Arthur had brought in the first night, had apparently been left a widow, when they broke in to her homestead. You could tell from overhearing snippets of conversation how much everyone hated the O'Driscolls. Especially Colm O' Driscoll, who had killed someone called Annabelle.

You felt sorry for the poor boy that Arthur had brought back, tied up. He was apparently an O'Driscoll, and they planned to get some information out of him, one way or another.

It made you feel like you were on a bit of a knife edge again. It appeared that Dutch Van Der Linde could be either a good friend or a dangerous enemy. You'd had experience of both sides.

Each day was also tinged with sadness. You managed to get little snippets about what had happened in Blackwater. A couple of people had died. You didn't really know them, but Sean was also missing. They didn't know if he was dead or alive. You liked Sean, he was probably one of your best friends, next to Lenny and Arthur. The chances of you seeing him again, weren't very likely.

The weather had finally begun to break, and there was talk of coming down off the mountain. Dutch was in good spirits after robbing a train. Hosea, on the other hand wasn't. He wasn't too happy about the gang heading east, when apparently the plan had been to head west. His bad mood wasn't helped, when he came to see you, to look at your arm. It had been bandaged up for almost three weeks.

You sat in the cabin. The wagons were pretty much loaded up. There wasn't a huge amount you could do to help, still only having one arm available. So you sat in the cabin, keeping warm by the fire.

You looked over your shoulder as the door open. To see Hosea standing there.

"I need to look at your arm, Kara," he stated.

You stood up, and glared at him, "I don't think so!" you retorted.

His eyes narrowed, "What do you mean by that, I need to check your arm to see if its healing, to see if the bandages can come off."

You shook your head, "You think I would let you anywhere near me, after what you did!" you exclaimed.

Hosea raised his voice, "Stop being so bloody stupid! It was in your best interests!" He shouted.

You laughed, mirthlessly. "Really, in my best interests to be drugged without me knowing. What if you'd given me too much. I could be dead. If I let you anywhere near me, then I would be fucking stupid, and I'm not!" You had now started to raise your voice.

Your eyes snapped to the door, as it opened.

"What the hell is going on in here?" Dutch demanded, as he opened the door.

You stared at Dutch, "I ain't lettin' him anywhere near me. Last time he drugged me. No one person, not even you, agreed with what he did." You hesitated, and flashed a glare at Hosea,

"well except perhaps Micah, he probably put you up to it!"

Hosea through his arms in the air angrily, and stormed out the cabin.

Dutch walked towards you slowly, "Kara, try and calm down,"he soothed. "We're about ready to leave, why don't you come and get on the wagon. You can ride with me."

He put his arm around your shoulder, and led you outside.

"We're heading down to the heartlands, once we setup a new camp, I'll get Susan to take a look for you, or we'll take you into the nearest town, and let a doctor take a look, if you don't want Hosea to look." Dutch reassured you.

He helped you up, on the wagon, and walked towards the rear wagon, where Hosea, and Arthur were standing. Dutch said something to Hosea, which you couldn't hear. Hosea still had a face like thunder, as he climbed up onto the wagon with Arthur.

Dutch walked back, and climbed up onto the wagon, next to you.

The wagons started to roll out of Colter, and headed down the mountain out of the snow.

As the snow began to melt, and be replaced by green shoots of grass, Dutch yelled out to Micah and Lenny who were riding on horses, rather than travelling in wagons.

"Lenny, Micah, get over here." Dutch yelled.

Micah rode along side the wagon, "yes boss," he replied.

He narrowed his eyes, and glared at you. You decided it was in your best interest not to make eye contact, so you looked straight ahead. You got the distinct feeling, that he was one to bear a grudge.

Dutch looked at him, but said nothing about the glare he was giving you.

"You two ride up ahead, make sure there are no surprises. We've had enough of those," Dutch added.

The two men rode off. As Lenny rode past, he gave you a smile, so you smiled back. You hoped he would be back soon.

After the mountains, and the arid lands near Blackwater, it made a nice change to see all the lush green pastures, and pretty rivers. You were heading to a place called horseshoe overlook, near a town called Valentine. You'd heard of the town, but never been there, not even with Randy.

During the final few miles, the Wagon that Arthur and Hosea were on, lost a wheel. This meant that you arrived at the new camp, well before them.

You were kind of pleased. Mr Pearson, and Susan Grimshaw, started setting up camp, which meant by the time Arthur and Hosea arrived, everything was pretty much setup.

You decided that you would avoid Hosea, and take Dutch up on the option, to get the local doctor to take a look at your arm instead.

Everyone soon settled in to the new camp. It was a lovely spot. Not very far from the local town of Valentine. Close to the river, and with good hunting.

You had been there for a couple of weeks. Micah was no where to be seen, and Hosea had left you alone. You were still getting dirty looks from Molly, every so often. But even she seemed relatively happy. Dutch was still keeping a close eye on you, but not as much as before. Which was probably why Molly was a bit happier. You had no idea why she thought you were a threat anyway. Unless it was because of the girls gossiping.

The girls, after being at the camp for two weeks, were desperate to go into town. They persuaded Arthur, to take them, so you thought it would be a good opportunity to see the doctor.

You walked over to Dutch's tent. You knew full well, if you just wandered off with Arthur and the girls, he would most likely get annoyed. You'd pretty much decided, that it wasn't worth it.

"Dutch?" You called out, as you wondered over.

"Ah, Kara. How are you doing?" he asked. He appeared to be in a good mood.

"I'm fine, but I'd quite like to go into town, to see the Doctor?" you replied, hopefully.

He nodded. "Still not on speaking terms with Hosea then?"

You stared at him, your face expressionless, you didn't say a word.

Dutch held his hands up, "Fair enough, I understand."

"Well Arthur is taking the girls into town, so I thought I could go with them." you suggested.

Dutch stood up, shaking his head. "No, I'll take you myself."

"Oh, ok!" you replied, somewhat surprised. "I'll go saddle up Lucky."

Dutch chuckled, "I don't think so. You can ride with me. Come on we'll go now," he added.

For the first time in weeks, you got a hateful stare from Molly. You weren't about to say anything, so you just followed Dutch to his horse.

When you reached the count, you were quite surprised when Dutch lifted you up and put you in the saddle. Even more surprised, when he mounted up behind you.

Before you had a chance to say anything, you felt his arm wrapped around your waist. His hand rested on your stomach. You flinched slightly, for no other reason than it was slightly unexpected.

"We don't want you falling off, now do we." He purred in your ear.

His breath on your neck, caused goosebumps to form on your skin, and you shivered slightly. Although not from cold. You heard his deep baritone voice, chuckle. The vibration in his chest, could be felt in your back, as he pulled you tighter into his chest.

Karen's words echoed in your mind 'I think Dutch likes you, quite a lot'. Surely she was mistaken. Sitting on his horse, with his arm wrapped round you. You were beginning to wonder.

You put the thought out of your mind, and tried to relax, after all, it was going to take a little while to reach Valentine.

As you approached Valentine, the smell was the first thing to hit you. It was a livestock town, totally different to what you had experienced before. The first thing you rode past was the stock yards, which was where the smell was coming from. As soon as you got into the town proper, it wasn't so bad. There was a general store, a gunsmith, a couple of saloons, a jail house and a doctors.

Dutch hitched the count, outside the doctors office and after dismounting, lifted you down.

You both walked into the Doctors office, Dutch resting his hand, on the small of your back.

You weren't quite sure why, it wasn't as if you didn't know where you were going.

The doctor, looked up as you both walked in. Before you had a chance to say anything. Dutch had already explained to the Doctor.

"Come and sit down over here and I'll take a look." the doctor said as he pointed towards a chair.

He removed your arm from the sling, and rolled up the sleeve of the oversized shirt you were wearing.

He started cutting off the bandages, and removing the splints.

Once all the bandages were off, you glanced at your arm, and quickly looked away. It wasn't very pretty. The skin was white and flaky, and there was a large scar, where the bone and popped through.

The doctor, looked closely. Was prodding it this way and that.

Finally he looked at you, then at Dutch.

"Looks like that is all healed nicely. What exactly happened, and how long ago."

Dutch hesitated, not wanting to say that you had fallen off a carriage when you were trying to rob it.

"Horse spooked," you stated, "I fell off, and landed badly. About four weeks ago." you added.

The doctor nodded. "it may be a bit weak, for a while, just make sure you use it, the strength will soon come back. Who ever patched you up, did a good job." he added.

You felt a bit guilty, Hosea was the one who had splinted it. But you weren't going to forgive him that easily.

Dutch paid the doctor, and you both thanked him. Before walking out the office, you rolled both your sleeves down.

Dutch looked surprised. It was a hot day. Before you had come into the doctors office you had the other sleeve rolled up.

"You'll be hot, with those sleeves down," Dutch commented as you walked out the door.

You felt your face flush, "No, its fine," you replied quickly.

As you walked down the steps of the doctors office, you both saw Arthur, Uncle and the girls across the street.

"C'mon," Dutch suggested. "You can show them your arm."

You stopped dead, "I'd rather not," you replied, hastily. "Can we just get back." you added.

Dutch stopped, and grabbed you by the shoulders, turning you to face him.

"What's the matter, Kara?" he asked, a concerned look on his face.

"Nothing," you replied, looking down at the ground.

Dutch removed his right hand from your shoulder, and gently place his fingers under your chin, tilting it up, so that you were looking him in the eye. His left hand still firmly gripped your shoulder.

"Tell me," he coaxed. "I know something's wrong."

You sighed. "My arm's a mess. I just don't want people to see it right now,"

Dutch moved his fingers away from your chin, and gently stroked your face.

"No it isn't" he purred, "It's beautiful, just like the rest of you."

You blushed, breaking eye contact.

Dutch smiled, and removed his hand from your cheek. As he did, he took the hand of your previously broken arm, and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently.

"Don't forget what the doctor said. You need to use it."

You nodded. As per usual, Dutch was going to get his own way.

The pair of you walked over to where Arthur and the women were standing.

They all grinned at you, as you walked across the road with Dutch. You could only imagine the stick you would get back at camp. Especially if they'd seen him kissing your hand.

"How's the arm?" Arthur asked.

You once again, didn't have the chance to reply, as Dutch piped up.

"It all good, Kara just needs to start using it, don't you my dear." He concluded.

"Lets see it then," Karen said, peering over Arthur's shoulder.

You took a deep breath, "I'd rather not," you mumbled.

Karen frowned, and Arthur raised his eyebrows.

Dutch put an arm around you, and rested his hand on your shoulder. You felt your face heating up again. This was only going to fuel the rumours, and Karen would be the first to let everyone know.

"Kara is a little self conscious, about her arm at the moment. Not that there's anything wrong with it," Dutch commented.

Dutch then ran his hand, up and down your arm, "I'm sure I can persuade Kara to show here arms off, when we get back." he chuckled, his voice deep and low.

You felt yourself blushing again.

Dutch looked at Arthur.

"Why don't you and I go and have a drink, Arthur. I believe the some of the boys, are already in there."

Arthur nodded.

"I can go back with the girls," you quickly suggested.

Dutch smiled, as he released his grip. "Very well, but I expect to see those pretty arms out, when I get back," he added.

You quickly made a beeline for the wagon, as Arthur and Dutch, turned and headed for the saloon.

As you walked to the wagon, Karen nudged you, and grinned.

You frowned, "just shut up, alright."

She sniggered, "I ain't sayin' a word."

You all climbed onto the waiting wagon. Uncle was already sitting up front ready to go.

As soon as everyone was on board, he clicked his tongue and the wagon headed back to Horseshoe Overlook.


	16. Chapter 16

All the way back to camp, Karen kept looking at you and smirking. Thankfully she didn't say anything. You knew that the girls liked a bit of a gossip between themselves, but if Uncle heard anything, it would be all around the camp in minutes.

When the wagon pulled up you jumped off, and walked to the centre of camp, closely followed by the girls.

"Lets have a look then," Karen nudged you, pointing to your arm.

Your face flushed slightly as you rolled up your sleeve.

Karen hummed, "well I've seen worse. It probably just needs a clean, and maybe something for your skin."

"Its horrible, I hate it," you groaned, quickly covering it up.

Karen chuckled, "You ain't gonna get away with that when Dutch comes back. He wants to see your beautiful arms!" she mocked.

You rolled your eyes, "I'll just keep outta his way."

Tilly sniggered, "like that's gonna happen, he wont even let you go out of camp by yourself."

You sighed.

Mary-Beth who had been quiet, suddenly grabbed your arm.

"C'mon, it probably just needs a wash, and some cream. Lets go find Miss Grimshaw, I'm sure she'll have something."

You rolled your eyes, "I guess failing that, I can find Mr Pearson and borrow a meat cleaver."

The three women, stared at you in horror.

"Joking!" you mocked, and went with Mary-Beth to find Susan.

You found Susan, checking the stocks of medical supplies.

"Could you take a look at Kara's arm, Miss Grimshaw," Mary-Beth asked, "Its a bit yucky," she added.

You rolled your eyes, "Thanks Mary-Beth," you commented, sarcastically.

You rolled up your sleeve, and showed Susan your arm.

"Well I'm not surprised," she scoffed, "You haven't washed it for about a month!"

You sniffed your arm, and hummed.

"Well it doesn't smell," you concluded.

Susan Grimshaw, rolled her eyes and shook her head.

"Come with me," she commanded, as she grabbed hold of your arm.

Round the back of one of the wagons was a large water butt, several rags and some soap.

She grabbed your arm and submerged it into the water, rubbing it gently with a rag. She pulled it out of the water, then rubbed the soap on it.

As she did, most of the loose skin, started to fall away.

"You need to do this, every day," she stated. She frowned. "No exceptions, every day for at least a week!"

You nodded. There was no way you would defy her, or there would be hell to pay.

She grabbed a towel and dried off your arm.

"Come with me," Susan said, as she marched towards the medical supplies wagon.

Susan looked at the supplies until she found what she was looking for, and handed you a tub.

"This goes on three times a day, and you need to let the sun get to your arms, not cover them up." She advised.

Susan looked through a pile of clothes, "here, put this on, and give me that shirt. It probably needs a wash anyway."

You looked around, there was no one about except for the women, so you quickly slipped off the shirt, and took the article of clothing that Susan had found. It was a white lacy sleeveless blouse Not what you would normally wear. But it would allow the sun to get to your arm.

Once you had put it on, you rubbed some of the cream on your arm. It looked a lot better than at it had before.

"Thank you, Susan," you said, smiling.

You went to find the girls, feeling happier.

As soon as Karen saw you she chuckled.

"What's the matter now," you faltered. Looking at your arm.

"Your arm is fine," she sniggered, "I'm just thinking how much Dutch will like your top."

You rolled your eyes, "this is beginning to get boring."

You walked back to your tent, and grabbed a mirror, that was sitting on the table.

Looking at your reflection you sighed. You didn't mind the fact that the top was sleeveless, but the front, was quite low cut. Revealing more of yourself than you were used to.

You hoped that you could soon go back to wearing your normal shirts. This didn't feel like you at all.

You left your tent, and walked back across the camp. At least you could help with some of the chores now. You headed towards Pearson's wagon.

"Hello Mr Pearson, do you need any help?" you asked.

Pearson, looked you up and down and smiled.

"You look very nice today, Kara. Glad to see you've finally got your arm back."

You smiled, trying to ignore the way he was looking at you. You guessed you'd have to get used to it, all the while you had to wear this stupid blouse.

"I have to use my arm to get the strength back," you declared.

Pearson nodded, and lifted up a huge bucket of vegetables.

"These need preparing, for tomorrows stew."

You sighed. "sure."

He handed you a knife, and you started to chop up the vegetables.

At least whilst you were behind the food wagon. No one would be able to see your attire.

After a couple of hours chopping vegetables for Pearson, your arm had started to ache.

Not badly, but after not using any part of your arm for over a month, it was probably gonna take time for the muscles to build up again.

You walked across the camp, rubbing your arm.

As you did, you saw Karen running across the camp, an excited look on her face.

"They've found Sean," She squealed.

"Where?" you asked excitedly

"Near Blackwater. Javier and Charles are already there, Arthur is going to join them, and then they're going to try and get him!" She exclaimed.

"Try?" you questioned.

"He's being held by bounty hunters. But if anyone can get him out, Arthur can," She enthused.

You ran across to where Arthur was getting his horse ready.

"Arthur please let me come, I can help!" You pleaded.

Arthur looked at you, and noticed you rubbing your arm.

"No, Kara. Your arm is only just out of the splint. Its too weak. You would just slow us down." he concluded.

"I would not," you huffed, "please, Sean is my friend." you added.

"You heard him, your not going," Dutch stated, as he walked up behind you.

"Why are rubbing your arm?" he demanded. "Have you hurt it."

"No I haven't hurt it, I've just been trying to strengthen it, like the doctor said," You huffed.

Arthur, suddenly threw an apple towards you. As you tried to catch it, you winced, and it dropped to the floor."

"If you can't catch an apple, your not going to be much good on a long ride, or a shoot out." Arthur scoffed. "Don't worry, we'll bring him home safe." he added.

You bent down, and picked up the apple. You sighed, before heading back to your tent.

"Kara?" Dutch called out, to you.

You stopped, and sighed again, before turning to look at him.

Dutch narrowed his eyes, "Come here." He commanded.

You strolled over to where he stood.

"A little less attitude, if you don't mind," he growled.

You looked him in the eye, but soon looked away, when you saw the look on his face. It was that look of, your gonna be in trouble if you don't watch it.

"Sorry," you sighed. "I'm just so frustrated, not being able to do anything."

"Come with me," he said, gently as he put his arm around your shoulder.

Dutch guided you towards his tent.

When you both entered, Molly was sitting in the corner, preening herself, as usual.

"Molly, would you mind fetching my clean clothes," Dutch asked.

Molly looked at you daggers, but left the tent, saying nothing. Although Dutch had asked nicely, you knew she wouldn't turn around and tell him no.

"Sit down, Kara." he requested, pointing at his cot.

You sat down on the edge of the cot.

Dutch took your arm, and started running his hand up and down it. When he reached the biceps area, he pressed his thumb into the muscle.

As he did you winced. There wasn't much muscle there, and it was sore and stiff from chopping Pearson's vegetables.

"You see Kara, your not ready to be running around, shooting bounty hunters and rescuing the likes of Sean, or anyone else for that matter." Dutch remarked.

He looked at the pot of cream in your hand.

"What's that for?" he asked.

"Its for my arm, the skin dried out because of the bandages. Susan gave it to me," you explained.

Dutch held his hand out, and you passed him the pot.

"Lets put some on then, shall we?" he suggested.

Dutch started to put the cream on your arm, and massage it in. He was far more gentle this time, than he had been, when his thumbs were pressing into your muscles.

"There," he said, once he had finished.

"Thank you," you acknowledged, when he handed the pot back.

"Now try and be patient," he added, "and don't try and over do it. You'll be back to it, soon enough."

You stood up, and headed towards the door.

"Oh and Kara," Dutch commented.

You turned around to look at him.

Dutch ran his top teeth over his bottom lip, then licked his lips. "That blouse is very fetching, you should wear things like that more often."

You felt your face flush, as you turned away and headed out the door.


	17. Chapter 17

The following morning, the boys still weren't back.

There was no sign of Arthur, Javier or Charles, and you wondered if something had happened.

Even if something had, there was little your could do about it. You just kept trying to convince yourself that everything was going to be ok.

It was another warm day, and despite yourself, you were glad that you were wearing the skimpy blouse, rather than a thick shirt.

As directed by Susan, the first thing you did, was head over to the wash tub, and wash your arm, followed by applying the cream. As much as you appreciated Dutch's kindness, you felt he had an ulterior motive to helping you apply it, so you decided to avoid him.

Once that was out the way, you grabbed the book he had given you, and found a tree to lean up against and started to read.

John had now just about recovered from the wolf attack in the mountains. The downside for him, was that he seemed to be drawing the short straw for guard duty.

As he walked past you, towards the track, he mumbled something.

"What was that?" you asked, looking up from your book.

John rolled his eyes, "I said, its alright for some!" he scoffed.

You smirked, "I'm just following orders, Dutch told me I shouldn't over do it."

John shook his head, "there's overdoing it, and doing nothin'. Your turning into Uncle."

"Excuse me!" you objected. "I'm nothing like Uncle, if I was I'd be lying here drunk. Besides, I can't do any guard duty, if no one's taught me how to use a rifle."

"Well we wouldn't want you to strain yourself," he mocked, as he headed off into the trees.

Feeling a little guilty, for just sitting around, you decided to put your book away. You saw Hosea, sitting at the table, by himself. Maybe now was a good time, to try and mend a few bridges.

You sat down opposite him, at the table.

Hosea looked up. "Kara, how's the arm?" he asked.

You smiled, "Not to bad. The doctor said you did a good job. I just need to get the strength back."

"Can I look?" he asked, somewhat anxiously.

You held out your arm.

He looked, and nodded. "You just need to be patient, and take it slowly."

You rolled your eyes, "that's what Dutch said yesterday," you huffed.

Hosea chuckled, "Ahh the impatience of youth!"

He looked serious for a moment. "I am sorry, about what happened in Blackwater. I should have told you. But it was for your own good."

You sighed, "So much happened to me back there, so much changed for me. I guess I was angry when I found out. Not just because of that, but because of everything."

Hosea nodded, "I understand, the real person to blame for everything is Micah. He almost broke your jaw, and it was pretty much down to him, that the Blackwater job went south."

You nodded, "He really hates me Hosea. It's probably my own fault, because of what I did. Making him miss that bottle."

Hosea laughed, "I get the feeling you don't like to lose. I don't think Micah does either. But you have different ways of going about things. My advice to you, is when he comes back, to avoid him."

You laughed, "I think I can do that."

Hosea pulled out a box. "As I'm old, and your incapacitated, how about I teach you how to play dominoes?"

You narrowed your eyes, "will you cheat? Arthur has warned me about you."

Hosea laughed, "of course I will, if I can get away with it. But I expect you will too, so that makes us even!"

After several games with Hosea, him cheating outrageously, and you not realising until afterwards because he neglected to tell you all the rules. You did wonder, if he was making them up as he went along. You decided, that you'd had enough, causing Hosea to chuckle.

You grabbed a bottle of beer and went back to the tree. After a few mouthfuls you leant back, tilted your hat over your eyes, and drifted off to sleep.

You were jolted awake by someone kicking the bottom of your boot.

"Is this anyway to treat a lost brother?"

You jumped up, recognised Sean's voice and wrapped your arms around him in a hug.

"I missed you," you gushed.

Sean laughed, hugging you back, "I missed you too, glad to see you're all healed up. You look fucking gorgeous!"

You blushed, "C'mon," you laughed, grabbing his arm, "Karen will be so pleased to see you."

Sean huffed, "she'll probably hit me."

"You'll probably deserve it!" You retorted.

You dragged Sean across camp, to where Karen was doing some laundry.

"Look who I found," you enthused.

Karen turned around, she scowled and punched Sean on the arm.

"You stupid bastard," she screamed, then proceeded to wrap her arms around him.

You sniggered, "I'll leave you two, to catch up!"

As you walked away, you chuckled to yourself. Now you would have something to throw back at Karen when she teased you. It was obvious, that her a Sean had something going on. You liked Sean, but not in that way. 

You went back to your tent, and looked in the mirror. You kept on getting comments from some of the men, and they way some of them looked you up and down. You didn't really know why.

You didn't think you were anything special. Long brown hair, which just hung loose. Brown eyes. Wasn't like they were stunning, not like Karen's green eyes.

You shrugged, and rubbed some cream into your arm. The skin wasn't dry any more, but you didn't fancy the wrath of Susan.

You came out of your tent, to see Arthur, talking to Dutch. At least he had come back in one piece. You had been slightly worried, when Javier and Charles had returned, but Arthur hadn't.

"We're having a party then?" Arthur queried.

Dutch nodded, "just a little one."

A party would be fun. It had been rough for everyone, since Blackwater.

As the sun started to set, crates of beer and whisky were brought out.

Javier sat around the fire, playing his guitar.

Everyone was singing. Sean by far the loudest. But that was no real surprise, he was always the loudest.

Arthur even sat down and sung, which was quite unusual.

Mary-Beth, sat watching him, with big doe eyes. You sidled up to her.

"Why don't you ask him to dance?" You suggested.

You looked across. Dutch was Dancing with Molly.

Mary-Beth blushed. "Do you think I should?"

You pushed her out of her seat, towards where Arthur was standing. A few minutes later, they were Dancing.

Javier, put his guitar down, and walked across to where you were sitting, watching the two couples dancing.

"Would you dance with me, Chica," he asked, smiling "We can't have the most beautiful girl, not dancing." he added

You blushed, and stood up, "I'm not very good," you admitted.

He gently put a hand on your waist, and you rested a hand on his shoulder. Every so often, he twirled you around, which caused you to giggle.

About half-way through the dance, you noticed Dutch walk over.

"Excuse me Mr Escuella, I hope you don't mind if I cut in," he smirked.

Javier let go of you, and the next thing you knew, Dutch's hand was gripped tightly on your waist, and your hand was in his.

You blushed, as he held you tightly.

"You seem to be popular with the gentlemen tonight, Kara." he purred.

"I...I don't think I am," you stuttered.

"Molly won't like it, you dancing with someone else," you added.

Dutch chuckled, "I can dance with who I chose."

As Dutch whirled you around, you saw Molly sitting, watching. You were right, she didn't like it. You wondered, if he was purposely trying to make her jealous. You didn't mind. You quite liked the attention that you had gotten from Javier, and now from Dutch.

You wouldn't normally, but you'd had a few beers, and it had made you more relaxed than you would normally be.

When the music stopped, Dutch stood there holding on to you, for a few moments, despite there being no music.

You let go of his hand and shoulder.

"Thank you," you smiled.

Dutch let go of your waist, but took back hold of your hand.

"The pleasure was all mine, Miss." He purred, as he brought his lips to your hand, and kissed it.

You giggled, and ran back to the fire, where Javier was playing his guitar again.

You grabbed another bottle, and started to drink. Looking past the fire, you noticed that Dutch was still staring at you. You also noticed that Molly was staring at you too.

The last time you had as much to drink, as you had tonight, you had been carried back to your tent.

This time, you managed to stagger back that yourself. The party was still going. Not that it kept you awake. As soon as you collapsed onto your cot, you fell asleep.

The following morning, it appeared that everyone slept in late, including yourself. In fact some of them, had slept where you had last seen them. Including Sean and Uncle.

The camp however, was a bit of a mess. With empty bottles strewn all over the place.

You walked over to the campfire, and poured yourself a coffee.

You were pretty sure, that Susan would go crazy when she saw the mess, so after finishing your coffee, you decided to gather up some of the empty bottles.

You found an old crate, and put them in there. You'd almost half filled it, when you saw Susan emerging, muttering and puttering.

When she saw you tidying up, she came over.

"You are a little gem, my dear." she gushed.

"Well, I made some of the mess, the least I can do is help clear up." you conceded.

Susan looked at the half filled crate of empties.

"I'll finish up here, you go and wash your arm. You have been washing it everyday, haven't you," she said, frowning. Ready to scold you, if you hadn't been.

You nodded, "Yes I have, everyday and using the cream." you added.

You went to the wash bucket and washed your arm. There was hardly any skin coming off it now, and wearing the sleeveless blouse, in the sunshine had given your arm back some of its colour.

You guessed that in a couple of days, you would be able to start wearing your normal shirts again.

Perhaps then, the men would stop ogling you. The only one that didn't, seemed to be Arthur. Not that you minded, you hoped that Arthur and Mary-Beth, could become more than just friends or the occasional dance partner.

As you wandered across the camp, you glanced over to where the horses were hitched. You saw Lenny come galloping up the path. You hadn't seen him, since coming down from the mountains.

He jumped off his horse and came running, out of breath over to Dutch's tent.

"They got Micah," He yelled, "He's been arrested for murder. He's in Strawberry Jail, they're gonna hang him."

You walked over, "Lenny are you ok," you put your arm around his shoulder.

"They nearly lynched me," he gasped.

Dutch called across to Arthur.

"Take Lenny into Valentine, the boy needs a drink," he commanded.

You looked at Dutch, "Please let me go with them?"

Dutch frowned, "I don't know, Kara."

"Please?" you begged.

Dutch looked at Arthur, "What d'ya think, Arthur."

Arthur chuckled, "she's been cooped up in camp long enough. Don't worry, me and Lenny will look after her!"

Dutch looked at the three of you, "Ok then, but no crazy business, any of you." He paused, "and Arthur, when you get back, you better go and get Micah!"

Arthur rolled his eyes, "Sure. C'mon you two, let go!"


	18. Chapter 18

The three of you had headed into Valentine. You were thrilled at finally being able to go out of camp, even if it was only for a drink. You had missed riding your horse. She wasn't the best horse, and could be a bit spooky, but over time you had bonded. 

As soon as you entered the saloon, Arthur made you promise to stay away from the poker table. He also made Lenny promise that there would be no five-finger fillet. He didn't want the one to be in trouble with Dutch, if you came back injured, or if you got arrested.

You chuckled at the thought, but agreed, none the less.

Both you and Lenny thought it was gonna be a couple of beers. But two or three beers, became two or three more, then two or three whiskies.

By the time you got onto your third whisky, you were feeling a little bit queasy.

The promise that Arthur made, to look after you, was now looking pretty hollow. Both Lenny and Arthur were so drunk, that they could barely look after themselves.

You decided to leave them to it, and go outside for some air. The boys probably didn't even noticed you'd disappeared, they were so drunk.

So they didn't see the man, that hit you over the back of the head. Having said that, neither did you.

When you woke up, you had no idea where you were. It was dark and cold. It was only when you came to move, that you realised your hands were tied together, as were your feet. Alarmed as you were by this, what was more alarming, was that you had been stripped naked.

You struggled with the binding, around you wrist. Whoever had tied it, knew exactly what they were doing. As you struggled, you heard a voice in the gloom.

"Well, well. The sleeping beauty has finally woken up."

You looked through the darkness, to see a man, holding a lantern.

"And how is Dutch's newest recruit. A bit tied up," he laughed, mirthlessly.

"Who the hell are you," you demanded, your head still throbbing.

"I'm insulted that you don't know who I am, Dutch has been lax in his education. I'm Colm O'Driscoll." he smirked.

You knew the name at once. You also knew it meant you were in serious trouble. Dutch's long-time enemy wasn't likely to play nice.

"What do you want Colm?" You sighed. Whatever it was he wasn't gonna get anything out of you.

He licked his lips, "well you can start by telling me where Dutch's camp is?"

"And you can go to hell!" you snarled.

In hindsight, this probably wasn't the wisest thing you had ever done. But you were pretty good at opening your mouth, and saying what you thought. You realised this, when you felt Colm's boot connect with your ribs. You groaned, only to feel it make contact for the second time.

Colm pulled out his revolver. You thought he was going to put a bullet in you. But that would have been pleasant compared to what followed. With the butt of the gun, he hit you twice in the kidneys. You screamed, as pain reverberated through your inside. You didn't want to. Didn't want to show weakness, but you couldn't help it.

"Mr Bell, said you'd be stubborn. He really doesn't like you very much. He actually paid me, to get rid of you. But seems like a shame, not to get a bit of extra information as well." he sneered.

You swallowed hard and focussed on your breathing. Remembering what Dutch had taught you.

Colm leant over, and grabbed your hair, yanking your head back.

"You will tell me sweetheart. Either that or you will die, very slowly. The choice is yours!"

You managed to turn your head, ever so slightly, so that you were looking at him

"Fuck off, you ugly bastard," you croaked.

Colm released his grip on your hair.

"I see Dutch hasn't taught you any manners," he snarled

Colm bent down, and grabbed the rope attached to your wrist, and dragged you across the stone floor, you body, banging into the stone as he dragged you across.

He fiddled on the floor with something, and you realised he was attaching the ropes which bound your hands to a metal ring on the floor. He walked towards your feet, and attached those ropes to another ring, leaving you completely secured to the floor.

You screwed your eyes shut. You knew that something bad was going to happen, but you weren't sure what. Whatever it was you didn't want to see.

As it was, you heard it before you felt it. That sound would haunt your memories for years to come.

The crack that the sound of the whip made, followed by a feeling of fire on your skin.

You weren't counting the number, or you lost count when when all you could hear was the sound of your own voice, screaming.

The next time Colm whispered in your ear the question, "where is Dutch's camp." You swore to yourself, that if you ever got out of here, you would kill Colm O'Driscoll, and you would kill Micah Bell, you then drifted into unconsciousness. The only respite from Colm's torment was when your body told your brain, enough was enough. Until the next round.

It was difficult to tell, how long before he came back the first time. Minutes, hours, days. Time drags, when your body is in constant torment. Every time he returned he would ask the same question. Every time you denied him the answer he wanted, he inflicted more pain. A whip, a knife, or an iron rod, fresh from the fire. There came a point when you couldn't speak. Because you could hardly breath. You began to realise, that they didn't care. Maybe Colm's words, in between his torture sessions, 'Dutch doesn't care about you', ' your just another foot soldier', 'your an idiot if you thought any different', had brainwashed you. It didn't matter though, you were loyal. You had always been loyal. Whether it was to your mother, to Randy or to Dutch. It was who you were. You started to pray for Death. Although if there was a god you thought, he had probably deserted you.

You heard the clink of spurs, walking quickly towards you.

You didn't even have the strength to brace yourself, for whatever attack would come next. You had resigned yourself to your fate.

But today, was not the day for you to die at the hands of Colm O'Driscoll. Instead, you felt a hand touch your face. You flinched. You felt your head being gently tilted to the side, as cold liquid, trickled over your lips. Water. To you it was like nectar.

"Kara, hold on, your gonna be ok." A voice you recognised. But your brain couldn't process who. You opened your eyes, but your vision was blurred. Besides, in the gloom, you couldn't see. Maybe it was a trick. A trick to make you tell him. You weren't gonna tell him anything, you'd die first.

"No," you groaned. "Go to hell," you gasped, before you blacked out again.

When you next opened your eyes, you were moving somehow. You were wrapped in a blanket. You tried to say something, but it came out of your mouth as an unrecognisable groan. You heard the same voice as before, they weren't talking to you though.

"She's coming round, we have to stop for a bit. Someone, pass me the water."

The movement stopped, and you opened your eyes. The same hands as before, trickled water into your mouth. Your eyes began to focus.

"Dutch?" You croaked.

He shushed you. "You'll be home soon, you're safe now."

A tear trickled down your cheek. You just closed your eyes, as a small sob, escaped your lips.

"C'mon," you heard him say, as the movement continued, and the arms gripped you a little tighter. The movement of the count, rocked you gently. Soon the sounds and the movement disintegrated into darkness.

When you next opened your eyes, there was no movement. You were laying down. You heard their voices, but couldn't quite make out the words, just the tone. It was angry. Your eyelids fluttered open. As they did the voices became hushed. You felt a hand gently stroking your hair. Probably the only part of your body that wasn't screaming out with pain. You were lying on your side. You winced as you felt something touch back.

You opened your eyes properly. Dutch was stroking your hair, and Susan Grimshaw, was bathing your back.

You tried to speak, but the words came out as a croak. Dutch held his hand up, and Susan stopped what she was doing. He gently tilted your head, and brought a cup of water, to your lips. The cool liquid soothed your throat, as you swallowed.

"I didn't tell him," you groaned.

Dutch smiled, and gently kissed you're forehead. "I know you didn't." He whispered, a trace of sadness on his face.

"Micah," you sobbed, tears streaming down your face. "He did this,"

He held your face in his hand, wiping the tears away with his thumb. You pressed your cheek into his hand, it was so big, so warm, so safe.

You felt his other hand, stroke your hair.

"He said you didn't care, you do care don't you?" You sobbed.

"Of course I care, more than you realise," he soothed.

The next face you saw was Hosea's

"Kara, let me help you, let me give you something to make you sleep." He coaxed.

You let your eyes focus on Dutch.

Dutch nodded, "let him help you, please." he asked.

You looked back at Hosea, and nodded.

Hosea pulled a bottle from his pocket, and took out the stopper.

"Just open your mouth a little," he requested.

You did as he asked, and he dropped some of the liquid onto your tongue.

You closed your eyes. You knew what would happen next. You felt like you were floating. Then nothing.


	19. Chapter 19

_You lay in a field of wild flowers, it was beautiful, the grass beneath you was soft. You felt like you could lay here forever. In fact even if you wanted to you couldn't get up. It didn't panic you though, it was too peaceful. You didn't know why, but you could hear someone, calling your name. Who was it? You couldn't see anyone. You tried to sit up to look, but you couldn't. Never mind you would just lay here, on the soft grass. But they kept calling you. Begging you to come, to come back. Come back where?_

_Then the flowers started to wilt, and the sky went black, pitch black. Until you couldn't see anything, all you could hear was the voice in the dark. But you were alone, except for the voice._

No you weren't alone, someone was holding your hand, touching your face, calling your name. You just had to open your eyes. You had no strength, but you had to. You must.

Your hands felt the soft grass, but it wasn't grass, was it. It was an animal skin, so soft. You weren't lying on grass, you were lying on a cot!

"Kara, baby girl. Open your eyes," Dutch whispered, "please, just open your eyes,"

You squinted, your head hurt. Your back hurt. You felt sick.

"I can't," you groaned, "it hurts."

"C'mon Kara, Please, just try, try and open your eyes," Dutch coaxed.

You forced yourself to open your eyes.

Tears suddenly pricked your eyes, and you let out a sob. "It wasn't a nightmare was it?" you sobbed as you felt the pain in your back.

"Hush now, the worst is over." Dutch soothed, as he stroked your face.

Dutch lifted a cup to your lips, and you drank the water he offered.

As soon as the cup was put back on the table, his hand was back on your face, cupping your jaw, as his thumb moved back and forth on your face.

"Oh baby girl, I thought I'd lost you." He purred.

His thumb traced the outline of your lips. Then his hand slid slowly to cup your jaw, and his lips pressed against yours in a firm but gentle kiss. You closed your eyes. A rapid tremor, ran through your body. You gasped, as the raw wounds on your body reacted. You ignored them, caught in the moment, as you felt Dutch's tongue slide across your own. You'd tasted this before. The combination of cigars and find brandy. A distant memory, a drunken memory. When he had carried you to bed. You thought you had imagined it, you now realised that you hadn't. Then it was subtle, now it was stronger, deeper, more passionate. You allowed his tongue to dominate your own, as his kiss became more hungry and intense.

When he pulled away, you opened your eyes. He had a look in his eyes you hadn't seen before. A hunger, an insatiable need.

You brought your hand up to his face, and gently touched it.

"You saved me," you whispered.

Dutch smiled "I would have gone to hell and back for you, baby girl." he purred.

He cupped your face in his hands, and his lips crashed against yours, as he pulled you into another deep and hungry kiss. Weeks of restraint, finally released, taking your breath away.

You felt one of his hands, slide away from your cheek, and trail down your neck until it reached your shoulder. His fingers, kneading the skin, then caressing it gently. The realisation came to you, that you were still naked. Only covered by a blanket, but you didn't care. You were feeling sensations that you had never felt before. The butterflies in your stomach, turning into a knot, which slowly travelled southwards.

Then he stopped kissing you, and just looked at you.

"Please don't st..." you started, but Dutch gently place a finger against your lips.

"You should be resting," he soothed, "that was selfish of me."

He kissed you gently on the forehead, then stroked your hair.

"You are so beautiful," he cooed.

The kiss, had blocked out the memory, of the recent traumatic events. These now resurfaced.

Dutch saw the look on your face, and gently squeezed your hand.

"Try not to think about it," He soothed.

"How long?" You asked, your voice cracking.

Dutch took a deep breath. "He had you for three days, we brought you back here, and Hosea, has been keeping you asleep, whilst you healed, for about five days. You've had a fever, but as I said, the worst is over."

You closed your eyes, it had felt like forever. "How bad is it?" You asked, a tremble in your voice.

You felt Dutch stroke your cheek again, and kiss the top of your head.

"That bad," you tried to joke, but it came across flat.

"Your still as beautiful, as you were before, baby girl," Dutch purred.

Your lips curved with the hint of a smile. He would say that, you thought.

Your eyelids were feeling heavy again.

"Would it be rude of me to fall asleep." You muttered.

Dutch picked up the cup, from the table, "just have a little more water." he suggested. "Then you can sleep."

He held the cup to your lips, and you drank a little more.

After you had finished, he gently, dragged his thumb across your lips, removing the excess water.

His lips touched yours again. This time the kiss was gentle, and chaste.

"You should sleep," he whispered, smiling.

You frowned, "do you like kissing me Dutch?"

Dutch smirked, "I could kiss you all day long. Why do you ask?"

"Your the only person I've ever kissed properly," you admitted.

"And that's the way I intend it to stay." he purred.

You blushed, "Why didn't you say something sooner?"

Dutch chuckled, "for someone who's tired, you sure talk a lot."

Dutch gently stroked your shoulder with his fingertips. "Now close your eyes." he scolded, gently.

You closed your eyes, still feeling him stroking your shoulders. Which sent a tingling sensation through your stomach, the more he did it.

But it didn't stop your exhausted self from drifting off to sleep, as soon as your eyes closed.

You had no idea, what time it had been when you fell asleep. It had been light outside. When you woke the next time, it was still light.

Your headache, was now just a dull throb.

Dutch was still there, you weren't sure he'd actually moved from the spot. But as soon as you opened your eyes, you felt his hand, stroking your cheek. Kissing your forehead, as though he was afraid, if he left you, that you might disappear.

When Hosea walked in, he looked at you apologetically. That was when you knew, something was going to hurt. Like when he set your arm.

You took a deep breath. "Whatever you need to do, Hosea, just do it quickly," you begged.

Dutch looked at you sympathetically, "He needs to check your back."

Your heart started pounding, and fear clouded your face.

Dutch stroked your cheek, "I've got you," he soothed.

He took hold of your arms, "are you ready?" He asked.

You nodded, and closed your eyes.

Hosea took hold of your lower legs, and in one swift movement, they flipped you onto your stomach.

The noise that left you, was something between a scream and a groan. It left you gasping for breath.

"Steady your breathing, you know what to do," Dutch coached you.

You concentrated on your breathing, and after a few moments, your breathing was back to normal.

Dutch stroked your face, "That's it, your ok, we got this," he soothed.

Hosea started to remove the bandages, it was sore, but nowhere near as bad, as when they turned you.

You tried to look over your shoulder, to see, but Dutch gently, but firmly turned your head so that you were looking at him.

"Just look at me, baby girl," he soothed, stroking your hair.

Once all the bandages were removed, Hosea stepped back, and laid his hand on yours.

"It's healing well, Kara. I need you to lay still, on your stomach for a little while. Let the air get to your back, then I'll redress the wounds." He explained.

You nodded, and Hosea left the tent, to collect fresh bandages.

You laid there for a few moments. Was now the time to tell Dutch about Micah?

You bit your bottom lip, and looked at Dutch.

"There's something I have to tell you?" You whispered.

Dutch looked at you, concerned etched into his face, "Is it about Colm? He didn't..."

You interrupted, "No, Dutch. He didn't touch me like that," you confirmed.

You saw the look of relief on his face, and gently touched his hand.

He kissed your hand, "he's hurt you enough, without having to deal with that," he soothed.

"Dutch, its about Micah," you began.

Dutch's face darkened, "Tell me now Kara, what did he do? What has he got to do with this?" He demanded.

You took a deep breath. "Does Micah know, that you found me?"

Dutch frowned, and tilted his head on one side. "He doesn't even know you were taken. Arthur broke him out of jail, whilst the rest of us were looking for you. He didn't come back with Arthur, because he thought he would be in trouble! He shot up half of Strawberry, according to Arthur."

You shook your head, "Colm told me, that Micah had paid him, to get rid of me. He said it would be a shame not to get some information out of me."

Tears started to pool in your eyes, at the thought of what had happened.

Dutch gently stroked your cheek with his thumb, whilst stroking the side of your neck with his fingers.

"Sshh now," he soothed, "he's gonna pay for what he did. They're both gonna pay."

For the first time, Dutch left your side, and went to the door of his tent. He hollered at the top of his voice.

"Arthur, get in here now." He yelled.

You looked across the tent at Dutch, his face had turned red with anger.

"Please don't be angry with Arthur," you begged, "what happened to me wasn't his fault."

Dutch turned to look at you, the anger slowly disappearing from his face.

He walked back over to the bed, leaning over he stroked your hair.

"I'm not angry with Arthur, Kara. I'm angry with myself. So many people warned me about Micah, and I didn't believe them. He did his best to kill you himself, twice. I still couldn't see it. But I see it now, and I'm gonna make sure he doesn't get another opportunity."

Dutch scraped his hand through his hair. "I lost good people, because of him, and I nearly lost you. I'll be damned if I lose anyone else." He snarled.

You reached your hand out and took hold of his, "Please be careful, I don't want you to get hurt."

Dutch gently kissed your hand.

"Don't you worry about that, baby girl. There's only one person that's gonna get hurt, because he's not gonna see this coming."


	20. Chapter 20

As you lay on the cot, on your stomach. You suddenly realised that Arthur would be coming into the tent at any moment, after Dutch had hollered for him.

You also realised, that since Dutch and Hosea, had moved you onto your stomach, you didn't have anything covering you.

To be fair, you hadn't really thought about when Hosea, was tending to the wounds on your back. But if Arthur came in, and saw you like this! You suddenly became very self-conscious.

"Dutch? I'm naked!" You squealed.

Dutch turned round, and gazed at you lustily. Licking his lips.

"I know," he smirked. "I keep telling you how beautiful you are."

You rolled your eyes, "and you really want Arthur to see me like this?"

Dutch frowned for a moment, suddenly the realisation hitting him.

"Stay here." he said. You tilted your head, and raised your eyebrows at him. As if you could go anywhere. One you had no clothes, and two you could hardly move.

Dutch chuckled, which was more of a low grunt.

He smirked. "I'll talk to Arthur, outside."

You watched Dutch walk out the tent. You hadn't really noticed until now, how well put together he was. Yes, he was smartly dressed and carried himself well. But watching him walk away, he was well toned and a good looking man. No wonder Molly was so protective of him. Then it dawned on you Molly! What was she going to do. Had you read too much into the kiss. Having said that, you were lying stark naked on the man's cot.

Laying on your stomach you put your hands on on top of the other, using it as a pillow, and lay there. Trying to fathom out what to do next. Although you weren't in a position currently to do much of anything. You were pretty certain, that Dutch and Arthur, would go and find Micah. This did gall you slightly, because you would like nothing better right now, than to pull the trigger, and watch Micah's brains, splatter out of his skull.

With that thought in your mind, you dozed off.

"Kara...Kara?"

You opened your eyes, to see Hosea standing in front of you.

"Sorry Hosea, I must have fallen asleep."

Hosea smiled, "that's no bad thing, do you want to try and sit?"

You thought for a minute, and nodded. The sooner you started moving the better.

"It might hurt a little, but it will be easier to bandage you up, and we might be able to get some clothes on you, as well." Hosea concluded.

"Clothes would be good." You chuckled.

Hosea took your hands. You managed to turn yourself, at the same time, as he lifted you up. Swinging your legs over the side of the bed. You gasped as a wave of pain hit you, but it soon passed.

Hosea put a blanket, over your lap, to give you some semblance of decency, trying to avert his eyes, away from your breasts, whilst he put the bandages on your back. You guessed this had been easier while you were unconscious. You winced several times, as the bandages touched your back, and groaned once or twice, as some of the stitches pulled.

"How long, do I need these bandages on for?" you asked him.

Hosea smiled, "with a bit of luck, another couple of days. I should be able to remove the stitches then as well. You're a fast healer."

You rolled your eyes, "I suppose its about time something went in my favour," you sighed.

Hosea started to help you on with a shirt. "What about Dutch, that's in your favour, isn't it?" he queried.

"You know about that?" you asked, a surprised look on your face.

Hosea chuckled. "Its been common knowledge, that he's been after you, since you arrived. Running around, like a knight in shining armour."

You giggled, "think I must have been the only one that didn't realise."

"And now? How do you feel now?" he asked.

You blushed, remembering the kiss, the cute names and the looks he gave you, when ogling your naked body.

"Its going to take a bit of getting used to," you admitted. "I've never..." you hesitated, not sure how to express yourself.

Hosea looked surprised, "Oh, I see, does Dutch know?"

You blinked, a little confused. "I told him he was the first person I'd kissed properly." you conceded. "Why are you so surprised?" you asked.

"Well, your gambler friend!" He smiled, "I guess I just assumed, everyone did!"

You chuckled, realising that Dutch was the only one who knew of your true relationship with Randy.

"He was my father, Hosea." You explained. "I only found out when I was fifteen, it took a while for us to bond as father and daughter, then shortly after that, he was killed. So I guess he was more like a friend than a father. But not that sort of friend."

Hosea nodded, as he passed you some underwear.

"Careful, putting those on. You haven't been on your feet, for almost a week. I don't want you toppling over." he jested.

You pulled on the pants, and managed to slide them over your backside. He was right about your legs though, you could barely stand.

"Once the bandages come off, we'll start getting you up and about. For now, you should stay in bed." he suggested.

You nodded, as he gently lifted your legs back onto the cot, and lowered you back so you were laying down once again.

You felt the animal pelt, on the cot.

"What is this, Hosea. I don't remember seeing this before?" You asked.

Hosea smiled, "Its a bison pelt, Charles went out hunting. Hunted that, especially for you."

You felt your face flush. So much kindness from people you hadn't known for very long.

"I had no idea, these people, this gang. They are good people."

Hosea nodded. "Sometimes good people, do bad things. But mostly they try...we try, and do good things, especially for each other."

"Did Charles track me, when Dutch rescued me from Colm. Like he did when Dutch found me in Blackwater?" You asked.

Hosea shook his head. "If it hadn't been for Kieran, we wouldn't have found you so quickly!"

You frowned, "Kieran, who's Keiran." You asked.

Hosea chuckled, "the O'Driscoll boy, from the mountain. Guess he's not much of an O'Driscoll any more. He gave Dutch a list of possible places to find you. Second place we tried."

You closed your eyes, and sighed. "I'd be dead if it wasn't for everyone here, and how they cared."

"And none of this would have happened, if it wasn't for fucking Micah!" Dutch growled, as he walked back in the tent.

You propped yourself up on your elbow, which caused you to wince, but the twinge soon passed.

"What are you gonna do?" You asked, as you furrowed your brow in concern.

Dutch walked over to the cot, a smile already appearing on his face.

"Don't you worry baby girl, you just concentrate on gettin' healed up," he purred.

He leant over the cot, and cupped your cheek, with his hand while kissing you on the forehead.

He stood up, "I see Hosea, has been a spoilsport, and found you some clothes!" he smirked.

"Well you'll never get anything done, if you spend all day, ogling your pretty new girlfriend." Hosea chided.

You blushed, at the comment. You were beginning to wonder, if the rest of the camp new. So far you had only seen Dutch and Hosea. You didn't really want to bring the subject of Molly up. Not while Dutch seemed so happy. Even when he became angry over something, he only had to look at you, and all the anger seemed to melt away. You hoped it would last. You weren't going to do anything to upset the current status.

Dutch smirked at Hosea, and hummed, before gazing back at you.

"I guess now your wearing clothes, your gonna want some visitors." he concluded.

You smiled at him, "I wouldn't mind," you admitted.

Dutch walked over to the cot, and stroked your cheek with the back of his hand.

"One smile from you, and I'm like putty in your hands," he cooed

You smiled at him again, and touched his face.

He grabbed your hand, and kissed it.

"You can cut that out, for a start,"he smirked. "I always knew you were gonna be trouble!"

Dutch headed for the door, "come on Hosea, lets find this girl something to eat, before she turns me into a lovesick fool."

Hosea laughed, as he followed Dutch out, "It's a bit late for that," he mocked.

You weren't left on your own long, before a face peered into the tent.

"Karen!" you exclaimed.

She walked in carrying a bowl of stew.

"Been told you can have visitors, so hear I am."

You managed to sit up, wincing a little.

"Are you ok, hun," she asked, handing you the bowl of stew.

You nodded, and forced a smile, "just a bit painful, if I move to suddenly," you admitted.

Karen waited for a moment, and when you didn't say anything else, she leant forward.

"Well?" she whispered.

You frowned at her, "well, what?"

"Oh come on Kara," she said, frustration in her voice, "we all wanna know what's goin' on. With you and...Dutch?"

You grinned, "Hosea called me his new girlfriend."

Karen giggled, "not really a surprise, he's hardly left your side, since he brought you back. We all knew he had his eyes on you though."

You rolled your eyes, "I thought everyone was just teasing me..." you hesitated.

"What's the matter, hun?" Karen asked, "you are happy arent ya?" She saw the look of worry in your eye.

You looked at her and nodded, "I am... Its just that...well... I ain't ever..." you stuttered, your face heating up.

Karen stared at you, her eyes wide, "You ain't ever been with a man, have ya?" she questioned

You shook your head, "I ain't ever been kissed before neither, least not properly, not until today!" you added.

Karen smirked, "Does he know? That your a..."

You interrupted her, "I don't know. He knows he's the only one I ever kissed. He said he's the only one that'll ever kiss me. He's so strong, and powerful. The look he gets in his eye sometimes, it scares me a little," You admitted.

Karen touched your arm gently, "listen honey, you need to tell him. You want your first time to be good. Most of us, well our first times weren't nothing special. That look, its lust. All men get that look."

You felt your face heat up again.

Karen sniggered, "ain't nothin to be embarrassed about. Its just natural, a man and a woman. Damn, most women round here would give there eye teeth to be Dutch's woman!"

You bit your bottom lip, "What about Molly? Is she angry?"

Karen grinned, "the stuck up cow. She's fucking spitting nails, Kara. Dutch has told her she's gotta earn her keep, and help around camp, now they ain't together no more!"

You couldn't help but smile.

Karen rolled her eyes, "look at you. All loved up." She smiled, "I'm real happy for ya Kara, especially with everything that's happened."

You smiled back. "What about you and Sean?"

Karen rolled her eyes, "he's a bastard, but I love him. He says he loves me sometimes, but only when he's drunk."

You stifled a yawn.

"Boring ya, am I!" Karen smirked.

"No!" You exclaimed, trying to blink away the tiredness.

Karen smiled, "I'm only joking hun, you should eat up, and get some rest. Don't wanna be told off for tiring you out. I'll drop by tomorrow."

Karen stood up and headed for the door.

"Thank you," you called out, "for everything."

She turned her head, before leaving the tent, "you just keep your strength up, 'cause it sounds like your gonna need it!" She smirked.


	21. Chapter 21

It didn't seem to take much to make you tired. You guessed your body couldn't heal, and be active at the same time. You hadn't eaten anything in the last week either, while you had been kept in your unconscious state. You found, Pearson's stew, a little difficult, so by the time you'd had a couple of mouthfuls, it was enough. You put the bowl on the table at the side of the cot and slowly laid yourself back down. Sleep took you virtually as soon as you closed your eyes.

Your sleep must have been a deep one. That was why you didn't hear him join you on the cot. Didn't feel him slide his arm under you neck, and allow you to use the crook of his arm like a pillow. Didn't feel the warmth of his body against your own.

Not until dawn broke, casting a red glow into the tent. But it wasn't the red orb, hanging low in the sky that woke you up. It wasn't even the hand on your face, or his other hand creeping up your shirt, and resting on your stomach. It was your own sound, a cross between a whimper and a moan, that you emitted, and the shiver that ran through your whole body, as though every nerve ending had been stimulated at once.

You opened your eyes, to see Dutch, laying on his side, gazing at you, and smiling.

"Good morning, baby girl." he purred. His hand moved across your stomach, and his fingers traced a line at the bottom of your ribcage.

You gasped and let out another whimper, as your body trembled yet again.

Dutch emitted a deep chuckle, "I love those little noises you make," he purred, as he stroked your face.

"Please Dutch, I need to tell you something," you gasped.

He stopped, and you felt the warmth of his hand, just resting on your stomach.

"What's the matter, sweetness?" he cooed, his hand still stroking your face.

"I...I've never b...been with a man before." you stuttered, your face flushing a deep red.

Dutch smiled, "I knew that," he purred, "and don't worry. I wont do anything, until your ready. I'll take it nice and slow." he added, his deep baritone voice, hushed to a whisper.

He moved his hand from under your shirt, and rested it palm down beside your head, and gently touched his lips to yours. It was another deep and passionate kiss, his tongue begging for access to your mouth, which you freely gave. As you kissed him back. Your hand, reached out and touched his chest. For the first time, you realised how strong he really was. His muscles were rock solid. You ran your hand over his chest, then along his arm.

As you did, his kiss became more intense.

Dutch finally pulled away from the kiss, and you removed your hand from his chest.

With one last stroke of your face, he got up from the cot.

"You are gonna be the death of me, baby girl," he smirked, as he grabbed his shirt from the chair.

You stared at him, smiling as he got dressed. Biting your bottom lip, as you gazed at his rippling muscles.

Dutch look at you, the same lustful look in his eyes, that you had noticed yesterday.

"what are you looking at," he smirked.

You felt you face flush, and you averted your eyes.

He chuckled, if you could call it that. It was more like a low guttural grunt.

He walked back over to the cot, and cupped your face in his hand, before kissing you on the forehead.

"I don't mind you looking, but I have to go. I'll be back as soon as I can." He whispered.

He turned to leave, but saw the hardly touched bowl of food, on the table.

Dutch picked it up. "You really need to try and eat a bit more today," he scolded. "I'll send someone in with some food."

"I'll try," you sighed.

He turned back, and stroked your face, "I know you will."

He turned away and walked out the tent.

You smiled to yourself. It seemed the man couldn't leave you alone.

A short while after he'd gone, Susan Grimshaw walked into the tent with a bowl of stew.

"How are you doing my dear?" she asked.

You smiled, "getting there Susan."

She hummed. "You need to eat Kara, to get your strength back."

You looked at the stew. It looked just as unappealing today, as it had yesterday.

"could you leave it on the table, I'll try and eat some later."

Susan shook her head. "C'mon Kara, I know you. If I leave it here, you won't eat it, will you."

You rolled your eyes, "I'm not a child," you huffed.

Susan sighed, "I'm only following orders." she retorted.

You narrowed your eyes, "Dutch!" you grumbled under your breath.

"He's worried about you," Susan concluded.

You started to eat the stew. You'd eaten about a quarter of the bowl, when you suddenly felt bile rising in your throat. You threw the bowl to the floor, and leant over the side of the cot, as the stew came backup.

You looked at Susan, panic on your face, "What's happening?" you cried.

Susan ran to the tent door. Yelling for Hosea and Tilly.

Tears started to well up in your eyes. You looked at Susan. "If I can't eat, I'm gonna die!" You sobbed.

Hosea came running into the tent closely followed by Tilly.

"Tilly, clean this up can you," Susan barked.

"What happened?" Hosea asked, looking at the pile of food and vomit on the floor.

"I was trying to get her to eat something, she hardly touched what we gave her yesterday." Susan explained.

Hosea rolled his eyes, "Her stomach's weak, she hasn't eaten anything for over a week. No point her trying to eat that crap that Pearson makes."

Hosea sat on the bed, and put his arm around you. "Dont worry Kara, we'll find something for you to eat that's a little easier on your stomach."

He picked up a cup of water, and passed it to you. You hastily drank it, to dry and wash down the bile, which had burnt the back of your throat.

Once you'd finished the water, he laid you down.

"Just rest, your gonna be tired until we can get some proper food inside of you."

As you closed your eyes, you heard Hosea's voice, in almost a silent whisper.

"Someone needs to sit with her, let me know, if she gets worse."

You panicked slightly. Worse than what, but exhaustion took you yet again, and you drifted to sleep.

When you next woke up, Hosea was sitting by the side of the bed. There was no sign of Dutch.

"What time is it?" you asked. It was dark outside. When you had fallen asleep it had been light.

"Its late,"Hosea replied. He put a cup of water to your lips. "You need to keep your fluids up." he added.

"I'm so tired all the time, Hosea." You mumbled.

Hosea nodded. "You'll start to feel better, once we get some food inside you. I sent Lenny off for some supplies, so we can make your something that your stomach can tolerate."

You sighed. "I don't even feel hungry though." added.

Hosea rubbed your hand, trying to comfort you. "You will, once your stomach starts working properly again."

You closed you eyes. Unable to fight the need for yet more sleep. You had meant to ask Hosea, where Dutch was. But your eyes grew heavy too quickly, and the thought slipped out of your mind.

You woke to the sound of angry voices. Hushed, but angry. You opened your eyes. Hosea and Dutch in the corner of the tent. It was still dark.

"Its too dangerous, Hosea!" Dutch growled.

"We don't have a choice, its too dangerous not to," Hosea retorted.

"Dutch...Hosea." you croaked.

Dutch rushed over to the cot, and sat on the edge. "Kara!" he stroked your forehead, before glancing back at Hosea, "Is it ready?"

Hosea nodded, "But it's days, not hours, Dutch."

Dutch scraped his hands through his hair.

You looked at Dutch, "what's going on?" You whispered.

"Micah's gone. I've been out today with Arthur and Charles, trying to find him. He knows where we are, he knows you're alive, so we have to leave." he stated.

You nodded, "lets leave then." You concluded.

Hosea marched over, "You're too weak to travel, Kara. I have some food, that I think you can eat, but to get you strong enough to travel. It will take days."

You looked at Dutch, you could see how torn he was.

"you can't risk everyone, just because of me." you whispered.

"I won't risk losing you again, baby girl," Dutch purred, as he stroked your cheek.

Dutch looked across at Hosea. "get someone to bring the food for Kara, and double the guard."

Hosea shook his head. "That won't be enough if we get attacked by O'Driscolls, or if he lets the Pinkertons know where we are."

Dutch glared at Hosea, "will you please just do as I ask," he yelled.

Hosea left the tent, shaking his head.

Dutch grabbed the water from the table, and put the cup to your lips.

"You need to drink."

You drank some more water.

"Dutch?" you whispered his name. "Please don't risk everyone, if its safer to leave here, then we must leave." you begged.

Dutch cupped your face in his hands. His hands were so large, that you whole head, was clasped, gently in those hands.

"This isn't open for debate, baby girl, I lost someone I loved to Colm O'Driscoll once. It's not happening again." He declared.

Hosea walked back in, with a bowl.

Dutch helped you sit up, and Hosea handed him the bowl. You peered in it.

Dutch spooned some of it into your mouth.

"Not too much," Hosea insisted. "we need to wait to see if she can take it."

Dutch glanced at Hosea, "How long?" he asked.

Hosea sighed, "about an hour. If it stays down, she can have some more. Little and often."

Dutch nodded, "We'll see where we are in the morning." he stared at Hosea, "But I ain't gonna risk Kara travelling, if she ain't strong enough." He warned.

Dutch put the bowl on the table, and helped you to lay down. "I'll wake you in a while." he whispered, kissing you on top of the head.

You closed your eyes, wondering what Micah Bell had in store for you all.


	22. Chapter 22

You felt like you had barely been asleep for five minutes, when you felt someone gently rousing you, and calling your name.

"Kara, come on, wake up," Dutch coaxed.

You slowly opened your eyes, remembering the annoying schedule of being fed, much like a baby. But grateful none the less that the small amount of food, you had consumed earlier, had stayed in your stomach.

You felt Dutch's hands, His firm grip, but still gentle, on your arms easing you into a sitting position.

You blinked, trying to wake. It would have been all to easy to close your eyes, and drift back off to sleep. You forced yourself into wakefulness.

Dutch already had the bowl of food ready. It didn't taste that bad. It was some sort of oatmeal, but was sweet. Possibly honey you thought.

Dutch gave you two spoonfuls and went to put the bowl back down.

"Please Dutch," you begged, "let me try a little more?"

His brows knitted together, "I don't know, baby girl. You don't wanna be ill again." he worried.

"Please," you begged again, "the sooner I can eat properly, the sooner we can go."

Dutch nodded, "ok, but not too much." he relented.

You ate two more spoonfuls, of the food. But that was all he would allow. He also made you drink, more water.

He helped you to lay back down.

It seemed pointless to you, to sleep for such a short amount of time.

"Dutch, will you read to me?" you whispered.

Dutch smiled, "what would you like me to read?"

You thought for a moment, "The book you gave me, its in my tent."

He tilted his head to one side, "You're not trying to distract me, so you can do something you shouldn't, are you?" he cautioned.

A small laugh, came out in a sigh. "not right now." you concluded.

Dutch stood up and walked towards the door, glancing back at you, as if expecting you to run off. The truth of the matter was you could barely sit, let alone run.

He wasn't gone long. When he walked back into the tent, you smiled.

"See, still here," you quipped.

Dutch chuckled, as he sat down on the cot, just behind you. He leant back, and pulled you into him, so that your head was resting on his chest. Holding the book in one hand, his other hand started to stroke your hair. His fingers running through the dark brown strands.

You closed your eyes, listening to the deep baritone tones of his voice, his hand on your hair and head, relaxing you.

You weren't really sure when, but at some point you zoned out. Not actually listening to the words, just the comforting tone. Every so often you would drift into a half sleep then suddenly jerk awake.

When you did this, he would stop reading for a second, then resume. You guessed he knew that you were dozing. But he carried on reading none the less.

The endless loop, went on until morning, reading, dozing then eating a little. The warmth of his body, soothing the hurt on your back.

By the time the sun rose, the bowl of food was gone. Dutch had put the book down, and you were just dozing, sleeping on his chest, whilst his hands continues to play with your hair.

You were woken, when you heard him talking to Hosea.

"She kept it all down?" Hosea asked.

"Yes, she's slept a lot, but the food has stayed down. What do you think?"

You opened your eyes.

Hosea smiled, "I think someone's awake."

"Please Hosea, tell him I'm ok to travel!" you begged.

You felt Dutch's chest move, as he chuckled.

"How about this," Hosea started, "I'll get you another bowl of food, you eat as much as you feel you can. Then I'll take the bandages off, and remove the stitches. Then we'll decide?"

You sighed, "Its probably the best offer I'll get. I don't want to be the reason that people get hurt, not again." you added.

Dutch gently pushed you off his chest, until you were sitting, then stood up. He sat back down on the cot, so that he was facing you.

"What do you mean, again?" he queried.

You sighed, an agonised expression, etched onto your face, as you eyes dropped.

"If I hadn't gone into Blackwater, to play poker. The job probably wouldn't have gone south, like it did."

Dutch gently touched your cheek. You looked him in the eye.

"That's not true, Kara. That job going south, was nothing to do with you."

Hosea nodded, "That was typical Micah planning," he added. "You had first hand experience of his lack of planning, when you hit that stage with him."

You sighed, "I suppose."

But you weren't really convinced. If he was that bad at planning, how come he'd managed to get Colm to snatch you, and disappear from the camp above Strawberry. If he was that bad at planning, why were Dutch and Hosea so worried, about him arranging for O'Driscolls or Pinkertons to hit the camp!

Whilst the three of you discussed the plans, or lack, thereof, that Micah may have made. No one noticed, Arthur walking into the tent.

"Thought you might be able to use this," he said, as he put a bowl of food on the table.

You smiled, you hadn't seen Arthur, since the fateful day when you had gone into Valentine.

Dutch glanced at Arthur, "Thank you, son." His lips curving into a smile.

Arthur looked at you, "I'm real sorry, Kara...for everything."

You lowered your gaze, tears pooling your eyes. "It's not your fault Arthur," You faltered.

Arthur walked over to the edge of the cot.

"I brought you this, we was supposed to go together, but figured it might be a while before you're up and about."

Arthur placed a gun in a holster in your lap.

You looked up at Arthur, and smiled, "Thank you Arthur," You hesitated, and the smile dropped from your face, replaced by a look of determination.

You took the gun from the holster, turning it over, examining it.

"I swear, I'm gonna find that fucker, and I'll use this to put a bullet in his brain," You growled.

Dutch stared at you then stared at Arthur. He placed a hand, over your hand, that was holding the gun.

"Lets get you healed and strong first, eh?" he coaxed.

You let out a sob, as you wrapped your arms around Dutch's neck and buried your face in his shoulder.

"I hate him, what he's done to me, to everyone." you sobbed.

Dutch held you gently, being careful not to put too much pressure on your back, whilst stroking your hair.

"We'll get him, baby girl, I promise." he whispered.

Hosea and Arthur, quietly left the tent. Leaving Dutch to console you.

After a few moments, Dutch gently pushed you away.

"C'mon, lets get some more food into you. Then we'll let Hosea take off those bandages." he soothed.

You nodded, as he wiped the tears from your cheeks.

You looked him in eyes, "Please Dutch, lets leave this place. I'm strong enough."

Dutch passed you the bowl of food. Gazing at you intently.

Finally he nodded, "I'll get everyone to start packing." He confirmed.

He picked up the gun that Arthur had brought in, holding it up.

"I'll put this somewhere safe, until you're well enough to use it!" he concluded, as he headed out the tent.

You sat on the bed, and started to eat the food that Arthur had brought in. It was slightly different today, you noticed. You realised that besides the oatmeal and honey. Someone had been out and picked some raspberries. Before you knew it, you eaten half the bowl. You stopped and put it down on the table. You wanted to eat more, but hindsight made you stop. You really didn't want to lose what you had eaten. Although before, you didn't want to eat. Now you did.

Hosea walked back in, with medical supplies. It was time for the bandages to come off, and hopefully the stitches to come out. You were slightly worried, but compared to the pain you had suffered before, you hoped that this would be a piece of cake.

Hosea looked at the bowl and frowned.

"Is that all you could manage?" he questioned.

You shook your head, "I thought I better eat a little then wait, before I ate the rest."

Hosea smiled, "Good. You wanting to eat, is the first hurdle. Now lets have a look at your back."

Hosea helped you off with your shirt, and started to remove the bandages.

He hummed, as he examined your back.

He then started, removing the stitches. There were more stitches than you though there would be.

Every so often you would flinch, when one of the stitches pulled at the skin. But there was no real pain, just a little bit of discomfort.

Once he had finished he wiped your back, with a damp cloth.

"Once we've moved, you could probably do with a bath," he suggested.

You chuckled, "Hosea, is that your subtle way of telling me I am a bit ripe!"

Hosea laughed, "I'm not that subtle, my dear."

You hesitated, "can I see?" you asked.

Hosea put his hand, on your shoulder. "Are you sure, you want to?" he asked sympathetically.

You nodded. You really needed to know, how much of a mess it was. Remembering what Colm had done, you knew it wasn't going to be pretty.

"You finish the food, and I'll go and get a mirror, "he confirmed, as he helped you put the shirt back on.

You grabbed the bowl, and started to eat as Hosea headed out the tent.

When you had finished eating, Hosea still hadn't come back with a mirror. You realised he wasn't going to.

You sighed, feeling a knot in your stomach. You had never been a particularly vain person, but you were now really self conscious, of anyone seeing your back.

You swung your legs over the side of the cot. At least you could move now, without any pain.

You put your bare-feet onto the floor. Bracing yourself, you tried to stand. As the blood suddenly flowed downwards into the unused muscled, you winced, and quickly sat back down.

"Damn," you hissed.

"That's enough of that sort of language," Dutch remarked, grinning.

You frowned, "It ain't funny, Dutch. We need to get outta here, and I can't even stand." you huffed.

Dutch walked over to the cot. He was carrying some clean clothes.

"Don't you worry about that, baby girl, I'll carry you if I have to, "he smirked. "Besides, you can't go waltzing out of here, with hardly any clothes on." he nodded towards the pile of clothes, he had just laid on the cot.

You sat there watching him.

Dutch tilted his head to one side, "What are you waiting for, get changed."

You frowned, "well at least turn your back, while I get undressed." you scoffed.

Dutch chuckled, "ain't gonna be seein' anything I ain't seen before!"

You glanced at the floor, "please Dutch."

Dutch walked over, and tilted your chin up with his fingers.

"What's the matter, sweetness." he asked, gently.

You sighed. "The bandages are off, but Hosea won't let me see. Its gotta be bad, I don't want anyone looking at it."

Dutch stroked your cheek, "not even me?" he purred.

Tears welled up in your eyes, "especially not you!" you mumbled, tears falling down your cheeks.

Dutch cupped your face in his hands, wiping away the tears with his thumbs.

"You think I care about what your back looks like, its you I care about," he soothed.

Dutch started to unbutton your shirt. Once he'd undone all the buttons, he gently slid it off you shoulders.

The arms of the shirt, pooled at your wrists, so you slowly removed them. Once you had he took the shirt and threw it on the floor.

Dutch eased himself on to the cot behind you. Your felt his hands on your shoulders, then he gently ran both of them down your back.

You gasped, as your body trembled, his thumbs making circular movements as he gently ran his hands up and down.

He leant over and kissed your collarbone, slowly peppering kisses up you neck.

"You see, baby girl, you're just beautiful all over." he purred, his breath on your neck, giving you goosebumps.

He stood up, smiling, "Now you get dressed, and then we'll see about getting you back on your feet."

He was about to walk towards the door, but you grabbed his hand.

"Thank you," you whispered.

Dutch just smiled, turning your hand over he kissed it.

"C'mon, hurry up and get dressed, we need to get out of here." He urged, as he left the tent. Leaving you to get dressed.


	23. Chapter 23

You started to put on the clothes that Dutch had brought for you. It was nice to get into jeans again. You weren't so sure about the top he had chosen. It wasn't one of yours, but another sleeveless low cut blouse. Still you didn't have much choice in the matter for now.

What was missing, was your hat and boots. You guessed they must still be, wherever Colm had taken you. You sighed, you had liked those boots.

You put you feet on the floor. Gritting your teeth, you managed to stand. Walking however, was different matter.

Taking a step away from the bed, was a mistake. You legs buckled, and you fell to the floor.

"Fuck!" you grumbled, under your breath.

"What do you think you're doing!" Dutch yelled, as he came running into the tent.

You looked up at him, he didn't look cross, just worried.

"Oh, I thought I'd just throw myself on the floor. Ya know...for fun," you smirked.

Dutch shook his head, "I can't leave you alone for five minutes, can I."

He grabbed you by the waist, and lifted you off the floor. You put one of your arms around his neck, whilst he supported you.

"Don't try and run before you can walk. Your body has been through a lot, its gonna take time." he scolded.

You rolled your eyes, "that would be funny, if it wasn't so sad. Currently I can't even walk."

Dutch kissed your cheek, "you will baby girl, its just gonna take a bit of time. Now lets take it slowly, one step at a time."

You managed to make it to the door. Although to be fair, your legs weren't holding you up, Dutch was.

You looked out, it was nice to see the sky again, and feel the sun on your arms.

Despite your current predicament, you couldn't help but smile.

You saw Arthur, looking at you. Then he glanced at Dutch.

"You need a hand?" he asked.

Dutch smirked, "Thank you, son. We need to get Kara over to one of the wagons. I'd carry her, but she's being particularly stubborn today!"

Arthur chuckled, and walked over.

You frowned, at him, then at Dutch.

"You better watch yourself, young lady," Dutch whispered in your ear, "or you might be in trouble," he threatened, as his eyes burned with lust.

You looked at him, and bit your bottom lip.

"Do that again, and you will be in trouble," he purred.

Your face flushed.

"C'mon Arthur," Dutch smirked, "lets get this woman into the wagon."  
  


Arthur and Dutch slowly walked you to the waiting wagon. Every so often, you would ask them to stop, so you could take a rest. You couldn't believe that you couldn't even make it across camp.

Every time you stopped, Dutch would ask if you were ok, and offer to carry you the rest of the way. You declined, of course. You were determined to get back on your feet.

You finally reached the wagon. You had never been so relieved.

Dutch picked you up, and put you in the back. You didn't complain, much to his surprise.

"Are you ok, baby girl?" he asked, concern etched on his face.

"Frustrated, seems like I can't do anything without being exhausted," you complained.

Dutch climbed in the back of the wagon, and grabbed a blanket. He quickly folded it up, and put it down behind you.

"Lay your head on that, just rest," he suggested.

You did as he asked.

Dutch stroked your cheek, "Once we get outta here, you can take it easy. Just heal up in your own time, without worrying."

You nodded, closing your eyes.

You heard Hosea's voice.

"Is everything ok, Dutch?" Hosea asked.

"She's exhausted, the sooner we leave the better. Maybe get one of the women to ride in the back, just to keep an eye on her," Dutch replied.

You let you mind drift, and soon the heat of the sun lulled you to sleep.  
  


You weren't sure how long you'd been asleep. The wagon was still moving, but the air had changed. It now had a muggy quality. An oppressive heat, which made you grateful for the skimpy top that Dutch had chosen for you.

Tilly sat next to you, in the back of the wagon. She smiled, as she saw you wake.

"How are ya feeling," she asked.

You sat up, and looked around. "Better, I think," you said, rubbing the sleep from your eyes.

Tilly handed you a canteen of water, that you gratefully took, drinking down several swallows.

"Where are we?" You asked, as you handed it back.

Tilly frowned, she didn't look too happy. "Heading South, I think."

You nodded, understanding Tilly's apprehension.

You held her hand. "Don't worry Tilly, I'm sure it will be fine," you soothed.

Tilly forced a smile, "I'm supposed to be the one that's looking after you," she quipped.

You smiled, "guess sometimes, we just need to look after each other."

"You girls alright back there," Dutch called out, from the front.

"Kara just woke up, but everything is fine." Tilly responded.

"Good, good. I think we're almost there." he concluded.  
  


You looked out the back of the wagon, the track was a deep red in colour. Reminding you that this part of the country had seen plenty of action, during the civil war. Although it happened before you were born. You still came across people that had been involved. Veterans, begging for money with a missing arm or a missing leg. Even in your current state, it made you realise how lucky you were.

As the wagons slowly came to a halt you looked out. The new camp, was going to be on the edge of a lake. A cool breeze blew in from the water, making the air less muggy.

Tilly jumped off the back of the wagon, and Dutch walked around to the back.

"Just stay there Kara, until Miss Grimshaw and Mr Pearson, have the tents set up."

"Oh please Dutch, I'm fed up of being inside all the time." You begged.

Dutch looked at you, and shook his head. "You'll only be in the way, besides you need to rest."

"I could sit by the lake, I won't be any trouble," you suggested.

"You heard me, now lay down and rest. I'll come and get you when the tent is ready, and not before!" he scolded.

You folded your arms, and laid back down, frowning at no one in particular, as you kicked the side of the wagon.

"Fuck!" you grumbled, under your breath. All you had managed to do was hurt your foot.  
  


Before you had a chance to worry whether you had hurt it badly, you felt hands grasp your ankles and drag you to the end of the wagon.

You gasped in surprise. You were even more surprised, when Dutch grabbed your waist, and flung you over his shoulders.

"Hey!" you yelled, "put me down.

Because of the position you were in, you couldn't even grab hold of him, so you balled your fists and tried hitting him, "I said put me down," you shouted again, slightly more agitated.

Dutch chuckled, as he strode across what would be the new camp, to the lake.

"You need to learn some manners young lady."

You carried on hitting him, and wriggling to try and get free, but to no avail. You'd seen his muscles up close. You knew how strong he was. There was no way you were going to get free, with your current level of strength. In fact, there was no way you would have got free, even if you were in good health.

Dutch walked onto the jetty, until he reached the end.

"You wanted to see the lake, baby girl, here it is, nice and close." he chuckled.

With one swift move you felt yourself flying through the air, heading towards the water of Flat Iron lake.

As you hit the water, you went under. But quickly managed to resurface, due to the salty water aiding your buoyancy.

You glared at Dutch, standing on the jetty with his arms folded, laughing.

"You bastard, what if I couldn't swim!" you yelled at him.

"Well you would've soon learnt, wouldn't you," he smirked.

You saw Hosea walk up behind him, "Do you think that's a good idea, considering her recent health," he asked, a concerned look on his face.

Dutch turned around and looked at Hosea, "If she's well enough to have a temper tantrum, and kick the side of the wagon. She's well enough to take a bath," he smirked.

Hosea nodded, "Fair point," he chuckled, "I did suggest she take a bath, although I'm not sure that this was what she had in mind!"

You looked at the two men, standing there, making fun of you. You decided that you would have the last laugh.

"A bath!" You exclaimed. "What a wonderful idea."

You swam a little further into the shore, so that you could stand. Your legs were week, but the water helped, somehow. The water level was just below your shoulders, and you started to strip off.

Dutch and Hosea watched in horror.

"Kara, what do you think your doing, put your clothes on right now!" Dutch demanded.

You giggled, "I'm having a bath, can't do that with my clothes on now, can I!" you taunted, as you flung the blouse at Dutch, followed by the jeans.

You took off your bra and flung that at him, but kept your knickers on. You found the water quite soothing, washing away any existing scabs on your back. You ducked your head under, then resurfaced, shaking your head so that droplets of water, cascaded off of your brown locks, and fell back onto the smooth surface of the lake.

"Shame I forgot the soap," you smirked. "maybe I should go and get some!"

You took a step forward, so the level of water covering you dropped slightly, showing a little more of your skin.

By this time, there was a small group watching.

Dutch stared at you, "Don't you dare take another step." He ordered.

He walked off the jetty, and headed towards where Susan was supervising the erection of some tents.

You watched him, wondering what he was going to do.

Dutch said something to her, she turned around and looked towards you a horrified look on her face, then she pointed to a wagon.

Dutch walked over to the wagon, and grabbed some things, you weren't sure what. Then Susan walked over to where everyone was standing, watching you.

"Ladies, gentlemen, back to work...Now!" she shouted.

Everyone disappeared from the Shoreline except Dutch. He took off his shirt, vest and boots. Then he undid his gun belt and took off his trousers. He started to walk into the water.

"What are you doing?" you gasped.

"What does it look like," he smirked, "I'm bringing you the soap!" He held up a bar of soap in his hand.

"Hold out your hands," he demanded, once he had reached you.

You did, and he placed the bar of soap into them.

He cupped your face, firmly in his hands.

"God-damn woman, I should give you a thrashing for your sassiness." he grunted, as he pressed his lips, roughly to yours, kissing you deeply, and hungrily. You kissed him back. You could seriously kiss this man all day long.

You really wanted to grab him, but if you dropped the soap, you weren't sure what he would do.

Once he'd pulled away, he grabbed the soap, and started bathe you.

He started to rub soap into your hair, and massage your scalp, slowly working along your arms and then your back.

"How does that feel." he purred. Knowing full well, as your body was trembling once again, under his gentle touch, and indecipherable moans, were coming from your mouth. He certainly knew how to push all of your buttons.

When he pushed those buttons, he would always chuckle deeply.

"No one's bathed me before!" you gasped.

"Then maybe, I should do this more often," he purred.

Once he had rinsed all the soap from your hair, you felt his arms wrap around your waist from behind. As he pulled you into him, you could feel the bulge in his pants. Dutch peppered you neck with kisses and bites, until he reached your collarbone.

"D'ya know baby girl, how much I want you?" he whispered in your ear, his breath on your neck, making the hairs stand up on end.

Your face flushed, and you gasped. He'd never talked dirty to you before.

He chuckled, "But I'm gonna wait, until your back on your feet properly. Because I want you to enjoy every single moment."

Without another word, he scooped you up in his arms, bridal style and carried you back to the shore.

You squealed, "I don't have any clothes on, only my knickers!"

Dutch chuckled, "I'm fully aware of that!"

When you reached the edge of the water, you noticed, with some relief, a couple of towels on the sand.

He wrapped you in the towel, and sat you at the waters edge. Whilst he dried himself off, and dressed.

Once he was dressed, he picked you up, wrapped in the towel and carried you over to where his tent was now setup.

"What about my clothes?" you asked. The last you had seen of them, they were scattered along the jetty.

Dutch chuckled, "You are going straight to bed, baby girl. I'll sort you out some dry clothes later."

You were about to roll your eyes, but thought better of it.

Dutch carried you to the cot, and once you were sat down, he closed the flap, and returned to you.

He grabbed your knickers, and pulled them off.

"What are you doing?" You gasped.

Dutch rolled his eyes, "You cant go to bed with wet underwear on, can you."

He started to rub you dry with the towel. Despite his words in the water, he was very careful not to touch you in any sensitive areas.

"I can do that!" you objected.

Dutch narrowed his eyes, "I'm sure you can, but right now your doing as your told," he scolded.

You didn't respond. A few months ago, you would have been half strangled, for being cheeky. You didn't think that would happen now, but you were sure he'd come up with something if you sassed him too often.

"Right, lay down," he commanded, once you were dry.

You felt a little self conscious, being completely naked. But then, that was exactly what you were like, when he found you at Colm's hideout.

He covered you with a blanket.

"Now shut your eyes, and get some rest," he whispered, kissing you on the forehead.

"What about my clothes?" you asked. You couldn't do much, as you currently were.

Dutch chuckled. "Don't worry, I have no intention of letting you cavort around the camp with no clothes on. When you've rested you can get dressed. Now just do as your told for once!"

You closed your eyes. Despite everything that had happened, you were the happiest you had been, probably in your entire life. You only hoped it would stay that way.


	24. Chapter 24

Your happiness, of course was short lived.

Nightmares haunted your sleep. Not nightmares of Colm O'Driscoll, but your other nemesis, Micah Bell.

_Micah stood there, leaning over you and laughing. You couldn't move._

"_You didn't think you'd get away from me that easily, I have a bullet with your name on it!"_

_He raised his gun, and fired._

"_No!" you screamed._

You woke up with a start, immediately sitting up. You could feel your heart racing, pounding in your chest.

Sweat glistening on your face.

You wrapped your arms around your body, shaking your head trying to get the vision out of your mind.

Dutch came running into the tent, having heard you scream.

Seeing the state you were in, he came immediately to the cot, wrapping his arms around you and holding you tightly.

"Hush now", he whispered, "it was just a bad dream."

"It was so real," you gasped. "Micah...he shot me."

Dutch rubbed your back. "No one's gonna shoot you, I wont let them," he soothed.

You looked into his eyes, "I don't know what I'd do if it wasn't for you," you whispered, tears pooling in your eyes.

Dutch cupped your face in his hands, rubbing circles on your cheeks with his thumbs.

"Nor I you," he whispered.

He kissed your forehead, and stood up.

Dutch grabbed a pile of clothes that had already been laid out on the chair, which you hadn't even seen.

"C'mon, lets get you dressed, then you can have something to eat, and a little fresh air." He soothed.

Once you were dressed, Dutch stood in front of you.

"Ready?" he asked, holding out his hands.

You nodded, and he helped you off the cot. As soon as you were standing, he wrapped his arm around your waist, and you both walked outside. 

You hadn't realised you had slept so late. The sun was low in the sky, a red orb. The camp was dimly lit, with several big campfires. Lanterns were dotted around on the tables around the camp.

Dutch guided you over to one of the campfires, where Javier was playing guitar, Karen was sat on Sean's lap, and Arthur and Hosea were sat on a log.

Dutch sat on the log, and put you on his knee. His arm wrapped around your waist. You wrapped your arm around his neck.

He'd certainly never done this before, not even with Molly.

You thought perhaps he was making a point, to the rest of the camp, that you were his.

Something that you weren't too unhappy about, and it appeared, neither was anyone else.

For the first time in ages, everyone seemed to be relaxed, even if only for one night.

Karen looked across at you smirking, as if to say I told you so. You smiled back.

Charles walked over to the campfire, carrying a plate in his hand. He handed it to Dutch who looked at it, and hummed.

"What's that?" you asked.

"This," Dutch remarked, "is your supper."

You fidgeted on his lap, trying to get a closer look.

"Sit still," he scolded, "unless you want to end up in the lake again!"

You giggled, and decided that doing as he asked, was going to be easier in the long run.

Dutch took a piece of the meat from the plate. You were about to take it from him, when he chuckled.

"Oh no, baby girl. I don't want meat juice all over my clothes. Open your mouth."

"What?" you queried.

Dutch raised his eyebrows, and stared at you. So you opened your mouth.

He popped a piece of meat in your mouth.

You were quite surprised at the flavour, and also how succulent it was. It took virtually no chewing at all.

"What is that?" you asked, licking your lips.

Dutch grinned, "You want some more?" he teased.

You leaned forward to grab another slice from the plate, but soon pulled your hand back, when he slapped your wrist.

"Manners, baby girl!" he scolded, "now, do you want some more?" He questioned.

"Yes please," you conceded.

Dutch grabbed another slice, and you opened your mouth, letting him feed you again."

He kissed your neck, "there, isn't it better when you do as your told," he purred in your ear.

You felt your face flushed, it was one thing to be sat on his lap, quite another, for him to feed you, scold you, and then kiss you, in front of everyone.

As much as you loved him. Well you thought you did. Sometimes you still didn't get him.

You finished letting Dutch feed you. He seemed to be enjoying it, and you were hungry, so you didn't really mind.

Whilst you were eating, you hadn't noticed that Arthur had disappeared. Until he returned, bringing you and Dutch, a bottle of beer.

Dutch frowned, he didn't usually drink beer, he was more of a fine brandy sort of man. But tonight was different.

He clinked the bottle against Arthur's and then against yours.

You both drank your beer, and listened to Javier play, whilst some of the others sang.

After a little while, you rested you head, on Dutch's shoulder.

He immediately noticed.

He smiled. "I think a certain someone, needs to retire," he announced, "so I will wish you all good night."

Dutch stood up. He didn't ask you, if you wanted to walk back to his tent. He just lifted you up, and carried you.

When Dutch reached the tent, he laid you on the cot, then turned around and closed the tent flaps.

You watched him as he unbuckled his gun belt, and took off his waistcoat and shirt.

You couldn't help stare at him, his muscular chest, the curls of hair on his chest, the same colour as the hair on his head. You glanced at his trousers, the bulge was back. You couldn't help but smile.

He slowly walked over to the cot, a smirk on his face. He could see you were looking at him, eyeing him up. But to be fair, he was doing the same to you.

Dutch bent over and started to undress you. First your blouse and bra, then your jeans.

You weren't quite sure why, but you didn't protest, not even when he removed your knickers.

Dutch gazed at your naked form, licking his lips, "Fucking gorgeous!" he whispered.

He leant over, and his lips touched yours, in a needy kiss. You touched his chest with your fingers, gently feeling his muscles, and rubbing his chest hair, as you kissed him back.

Dutch stopped kissing you, his lips only inches from yours.

He grabbed your hands from his chest, and pinned them either side of your head.

"Your playing a dangerous game, baby girl," he purred.

You tried to kiss him, but your lips couldn't quite reach, whilst he had your arms pinned.

Dutch smirked, "very dangerous!"

Dutch climbed on the cot, his body hovering over yours.

His lips crashed against yours, and before you knew it, he'd moved your hands. They were pinned above your head, being held by by the wrists, with one hand, while his other hand, slowly moved down your torso, caressing the sides of your body.

You gasped, as your whole body trembled, and you felt something starting to build in the base of your stomach.

His lips, moved from yours, as he started to kiss and bite your neck. The lower he went, the more your body reacted.

Dutch flicked his tongue, over one of your nipples, which was now standing to attention. You threw your head back, and moaned at the sensation.

You heard him hum, which was closer to a growl, as he moved across to the other side, this time his teeth grazed it.

When his hand moved, releasing your wrists, you just left them where they were. As if they were pinned above you head, by some invisible force.

His hands now cupped your breasts, his thumbs circling your nipples, whilst he trailed kissed down your stomach. Each kiss, elicited a moan from your lips, as every nerve in your body tingled.

Dutch moved his hands from your breasts, and slowly slid his fingers down your body, his thumbs following in the wake of his kisses. You let out a low moan, as your back arched, under his gentle touch. His hands finally stopped when they rested on your pelvic bones. His lips, however did not, until he reached your mound.

"Oh baby girl,"he whispered, "your wet already!"

Your breath hitched, at your felt his tongue dart inside you. The coil in the base of your stomach, growing ever tighter. The sensation threatening to overwhelm you.

"Dutch...Pl..please," you squealed, your breath coming in gasps

"Patience, angel!" he smirked.

Dutch gently slipped his thumb inside, making slow circular movement across your clit.

You screamed, and your back arched, as you felt an explosion of ecstasy, as Dutch's touch, sent you over the edge.

Where your head went in that moment you weren't quite sure, but when you came to your senses, Dutch was completely naked.

He hovered over you. You gasped, staring at what had been the bulge in his pants. You had no idea it was so big.

Dutch, gently kissed the inside of your thighs, as he pressed a finger into your folds.

You gasped, "I...I haven't got anything left!" you stuttered.

"I'm sure you have," he smirked, "just a little bit more."

He added another finger, as his thumb circled your overstimulated clit, moving increasingly faster.

You moaned and shuddered, as you felt the base of your stomach knotting again, it seemed even stronger this time.

"Oh god," you screamed.

Dutch removed his fingers.

"Please...please don't stop," you mewled.

Then you felt his tip at your entrance. You gasped as he slowly pushed in deeper. You let our a cry. Pleasure and pain, intermingled as he broke through your maidenhood.

You shuddered and your back arched, as he went deeper. His hands now on your hips, steadying you, as he thrust harder and faster.

"Oh Dutch!" you screamed, as you felt the coil tightening in your stomach.

"There's a good girl, I gotcha, baby girl, just let it go!" he whispered, as you exploded once again, spiralling over the edge.

As he watched you come undone, you felt the rush of his seed, spilling into you.

You gasped for breath, panting, as you felt sweat bead on your back.

Dutch gently pulled out, then his arms were wrapped around you.

"Such a sweet baby girl," he whispered, and he peppered your neck with kisses, and stroked your hair.

You felt warm, safe, and blissfully happy.

"I love you, Dutch," you whispered.

And just before sleep took you, you heard Dutch whisper,

"I love you too, baby girl."


	25. Chapter 25

When you woke up the following morning, you knew it was late. You knew because the light filtering into the tent, wasn't the red glow of a sunrise, but bright, like mid-morning, or even noon.

You didn't mind though. Because when you woke, Dutch's arms were still wrapped tightly around you. Your back could feel the warmth of his chest, and the steady rise and fall of his breathing. One arm resting on your shoulder, the other on your hip.

He must have felt you stir, because the hand that was on your hip, gently slid to your stomach.

"So you're finally awake," he purred, as he kissed your collarbone.

You hummed, happily.

"Well we really need to getup." he added.

You groaned, "can't we just stay here all day?"

Dutch chuckled, as he stroked your stomach, "as much as I am tempted, baby girl, I have a gang to lead and laying here with you, isn't going to make us any money."

"Just five more minutes then," you begged, as you tried to snuggle deeper into his chest, stifling a yawn.

He nipped your neck, "you can have five minutes, but I have things to do."

His arms left your body, and you felt the warmth of him disappear as he got up from the cot.

You rolled over onto your back, watching him get dressed.

"C'mon, get up, you need to eat something." he suggested.

You groaned, and rolled back over, closing your eyes. It might be late, but you ached this morning.

Before you had a chance to think, you felt the blanket being pulled away, and the loud noise of skin touch skin, as Dutch's hand landed on your bare backside. You jumped at the stinging sensation. It hadn't been a gentle slap.

"Ow!" you exclaimed, quickly sitting up and frowning.

"Get your arse outta bed, now!" he smirked. "I'll be back in five minutes, if your not up and dressed by then..." he threatened.

You stared at him, "you wouldn't!"

Dutch chuckled, "you wanna test me? Then stay where you are!"

You quickly grabbed your clothes and started to dress.

He licked his lips, "shame," he muttered, as he left the tent.

You stared at him as he walked out the tent, then quickly finished dressing.

You had a funny feeling, that he wasn't joking.

You walked out the tent, and saw Hosea and Arthur, seated at a table. Dutch was standing there, cigar in hand. They were looking towards the tent. You had a horrible feeling that they were talking about you, considering the smirk on Dutch's face.

You headed over. Dutch pointed to an empty chair and a bowl of food.

"There's some breakfast there for you."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "If you can call it breakfast!"

You looked at the bowl, Pearson's stew. It had been nice having the other food, but now your stomach had recovered, it looked like it was back to this. But you were hungry anyway.

You sat down, and frowned at Arthur, "what d'ya mean?" you queried, as you spooned a bowl of the stew into your mouth.

Arthur chuckled, "Well it's near enough noon!"

"I'm only doing as I'm told," you smirked, "resting and getting my strength back!"

You carried on eating the stew.

Arthur leaned over, and whispered in your ear. "The noise that was coming for that tent last night, ain't much resting went on, I don't suppose," he sniggered.

Your face flushed red.

Dutch and Hosea, look at you and then a Arthur, and started to laugh.

You closed your eyes and shook your head, but you couldn't help but smile.

When you opened your eyes, Dutch was staring at you, smiling.

"How about I take you into town, and get you some boots." he suggested.

You grinned, "Can I get a rifle and new gun, as well?"

Dutch frowned, "what ever for?"

"Well, my old gun, and gun-belt, are keeping my old boots company, where ever they are." you replied.

Dutch laughed, "ok, that's fair enough, but why the rifle?"

You shrugged, "You wanted Arthur to buy me one, and teach me how to use it, before we left Blackwater. I guess now its even more important, given the current situation," you concluded.

Dutch hummed, "Ok, we don't really know the area yet, so we'll head back to Valentine. Herr Strauss, was on about getting some more medical supplies so he can come with us."

Arthur stood up, "we could meet you there later, Marston and me have got something cooking."

Dutch nodded, "good idea, meet us in the saloon, not the big one though, the little one."

Arthur nodded, and headed off to find John.

"Come on then, baby girl," Dutch smirked, "lets go shopping, if your good, I might by you some new clothes as well."

You grinned and grabbed hold of his arm, you stood on your tippy toes and whispered in his ear.

"and there was me thinking you preferred me naked." you smirked.

Dutch licked his lips, and placed his hand on your backside, as you both walked towards where the horses were hitch. "Oh I do, baby girl, I most definitely do." he said, as he gave you bottom a gentle tap with his hand.

You had a funny feeling, that if you were too cheeky in future, you knew exactly what your punishment might be.

The ride to Valentine, took a lot longer as the new camp was a lot further away. You could have gone to Rhodes, but Dutch said he wanted to check the town out first before people started going there for shopping trips.

Strauss moaned a little, but not too much, when Dutch cast him one of his 'not amused' looks.

The ride was uneventful. Herr Strauss wasn't very talkative, and didn't look particularly comfortable riding a horse. Every so often, Dutch's hand would creep from your waist to you inner thigh, which caused you to twitch. This made him chuckle, so he did it more and more. All the time you trying to avoid making any noise, not wanting Strauss to realise what was going on. But as Arthur had kindly reminded you, the whole camp, probably knew what went on in Dutch's tent last night.

When you finally arrived in Valentine you were quite relieved.

Strauss headed over to the Doctors office, to pick up more medical supplies. You and Dutch headed off to the general store first, arranging to meet Strauss at the saloon.

You picked yourself out a new pair of boots, whilst Dutch bought you some more of the sleeveless, lacy low cut blouses he liked you in. He suggested a couple of dresses, but you drew the line there.

Once you had finished in the General store, you headed to the gunsmith.

You bought a new gun-belt, holster and gun. Dutch had brought the gun and holster that Arthur had bought for you, which you attached to the gun belt. So now you had two guns.

You were beginning to feel like yourself once again.

Dutch then picked out a Springfield repeater for you. You had no idea whether it would be any good, as you had no idea about rifles. All the same, you were really looking forward to Arthur teaching you how to use it.

As you walked out of the gunsmith, you grabbed hold of Dutch's arm.

He stopped, and looked at you.

You kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you," you whispered.

Dutch smiled, and turned to face you, he gently took your chin with his thumb and finger. His lips gently touched yours, as his other hand reached for your face and caressed your cheek.

"Your more than welcome," he whispered, as your lips parted, his hand lingering on your cheek.

His fingers, then interlaced with yours, as you walked back to The Count so you could stow the rifle.

Then you both strolled through Valentine hand in hand, until you reached the saloon.

Dutch, ever the gentleman, opened the door for you, as you entered the small bar.

Herr Strauss was already seated, so you went to join him, whilst Dutch bought the drinks.

Strauss didn't seem very talkative, you guessed he may have been more so, if you hadn't been there.

You didn't have to wait long, before Arthur and John arrived.

"Where have you two been," Dutch asked impatiently.

"Gettin some sheep, Marston's thing, just waiting to get paid!" Arthur grumbled.

You smirked, you always found it quite funny how grumpy Arthur always pretended to be. You knew he wasn't that grumpy really.

Dutch looked at John, "why don't you and Herr Strauss go and sort out the money,"

Strauss go up.

"Arthur, son," Dutch glanced at Arthur, "sit down and join us for a drink."

Arthur sat down, whilst Dutch poured another round of drinks.

John rolled his eyes, as he walked out the door with Herr Strauss. He looked a bit pissed off that Arthur got to sit down for a drink, and he didn't.

The three of you clinked glasses, but before you even had a chance to have a drink it all kicked off.

Leviticus Cornwall, was outside, yelling his head off about a train robbery. You assumed that was what Dutch and the boys had been up to in the mountains.

The three of you went to the window, what you saw made your blood boil.

It was bad enough that John and Strauss were being held at knife point, but riding next to the man, who you assumed was Leviticus Cornwall was none other than fucking Micah Bell.

Your hand immediately went to your gun.

You didn't have a chance to draw it, as you felt Dutch's hand on yours.

"Wait!" he commanded.

You scowled, but did as you were told. That was until, you saw the pair riding away.

It was at that moment, that Dutch walked out with his hands raised, spinning a yarn. Within seconds, Arthur had taken out the two men holding John and Strauss at knife point.

You decided at that point, there was no way you were about to let Micah Bell go, so you ran to the other end of the saloon, and crashed through the window.

You could see the two men in the distance, nonchalantly riding away at a walk. In the meantime, all hell had broken loose in the street, as Arthur, Dutch, John and Strauss were in the middle of a firefight.

Dutch had watched you leave, He yelled "Kara, get back here right now!" Knowing full well what you were going to do.

You ignored him, you would face the consequences later.

Arthur yelled at him, "What about Kara?"

"I'll deal with her later," he grunted.

You knew you were in trouble, but at that moment you didn't care. Using the buildings for cover, you jumped on the nearest horse you could find, and started to follow the two men. This time you were determined to have your revenge.


	26. Chapter 26

You left Valentine, and the sound of gunfire behind you, as you followed Micah Bell and Leviticus Cornwall out of the town.

You kept a good distance back, not wanting them to realise they had been followed. You knew full well if Micah saw you, he would immediately try and kill you. Although you had no axe to grind with Cornwall, you wouldn't have any qualms in dispatching him. Not when he had decided to try and kill, not only John and Strauss, but potentially Dutch and Arthur as well.

There was the other problem. Disobeying one of Dutch's direct orders would well and truly leave you in the shitter. You didn't even know if you would dare go back. You might be his current lover, but he was the gang leader, first and foremost. As much as you loved him, and you now knew that you did. You also knew how controlling he could be, you knew that from the first time you had crossed him, when he had nearly strangled you. But no one, not even Dutch Van Der Linde himself, would stop you getting your revenge. Even if it meant you would never see him again.

You followed the two riders until they were well out of town, then you struck.

You didn't particularly want to shoot Micah in the back, because you wanted him to know it was you. So you did something you never thought you would do. 

You shot his horse, from underneath him.

You'd never heard a horse scream, and you swore after this, you'd never want to hear it again.

As soon as he fell, you realised that Micah would be pinned underneath him.

When Cornwall, heard the shot. He turned in the saddle and pulled his gun. Lucky for you, he wasn't a very good shot. Probably because he had lackeys doing all the shooting for him. The bullet grazed your shoulder, but you were still able to get an accurate shot of, which shattered the businessman's skull.

His horse bolted, leaving you to deal with Micah.

You jumped off the stolen horse and hitched him to a nearby tree.

"You fucking bitch, you shot my fucking horse," Micah screamed. It was the first time you had seen the outlaw, show any emotion.

"And you tried to fucking kill me, you bastard," you snarled.

He struggled to get free, but he was pinned by the horse.

"Question is, do I let your horse crush you to death, or do I blow your brains out." You hissed.

Micah scowled at you, "I should have killed you myself, not trusted that bastard O'Driscoll to do it for me," he spat.

You cocked the hammer on your gun. "Do you know what that fucking bastard did to me!" you screamed, tears beginning to pool in your eyes, "he fucking beat me, tortured me and left me for dead."

You pointed the gun right between his eyes. "You bastard!"

As you pulled the trigger, you ignored the blood, bone and brain which sprayed everywhere. You let out a choked sob, as tears streamed down your face. You dropped to your knees. All the emotion and hurt of the last few weeks, came out of you.

What you wanted more than anything right now, was Dutch. To hold you and console you. But he wasn't here, and even if he had been, you doubted he would be consoling you. More likely he would be raging at you, for disobeying him.

After some moments, you weren't really sure how long, you picked yourself up. The graze on your arm was bleeding.

You dug around in the Baylocks saddlebags. Finding some whisky and an old shirt of Micah's, you took a swallow, and poured the rest on the wound. You wrapped the shirt around your arm in a makeshift bandage. You didn't know where you were going, and you had no supplies, so you quickly ransacked the rest of the saddle bags, and Micah's dead body.

There was a little food, a little money.

Mounting your stolen horse, you carried on going. You needed to find somewhere to spend the night.

You had pretty much decided you weren't going back. You had also decided, your next move was to track down Colm O'Driscoll. He was gonna pay for what he had done.

You didn't know where you were going. You had never been to this part of the country. All you knew was that you were heading North, which was away from Valentine, Dutch and the camp.

As you rode along, you kept looking out for shelter. You didn't really have much in the way of camping supplies, although you had lifted Micah's bedroll from the back of the dead Baylock.

Suddenly you heard a voice, you spun around in your saddle, but there was no one behind you, until you realised it was coming from a clearing at the side of the road.

You drew your gun, and rode to where the voice was coming from.

"Miss, can you help me?" the man asked.

He was old, older than Hosea. Looking at him, you realised he only had one leg.

"How can I help?" you queried, holstering your gun.

"My horse, damn thing spooked. Trouble is, he's got my leg." he pointed to his stump, "don't think he's gone far."

You jumped off your horse, and smiled at the old man.

"I'll see what I can do." You replied.

You weren't a great tracker, but even you could see the hoof prints. You started to follow them. You hadn't gone far, when you saw the horse in the distance. He was a good looking horse, but huge.

You quietly approached him, using calming words. He let you grab hold of the reins, but he had a bit of a wild look in his eye. Given your recent track record, you thought it best to lead him back to the old man.

When you reached the old man you grinned, "he's a bit of a brute," you commented.

The old man chuckled. "He is that! Would you mind passing me my leg," he asked.

You passed the false leg to the man, who attached it to the part of his leg, that he had left.

He stood up and extended his hand, "Hamish Sinclair," he stated.

You shook his hand, "Kara Finlay. Will you be ok getting home Mr Sinclair?" you asked.

He chuckled, "Please, call me Hamish. I don't live far. But what about you, what's a young lady like you doing alone in the wilds."

"Its a long story Hamish, a very long story," you sighed.

Hamish tilted his head, "Well Kara, you don't want to be out in these parts after dark, the wolves aren't too fussy about what they have for a meal." He pointed at your shoulder, "they'd smell that a mile away. Your welcome to put your bedroll on my cabin floor for the night, if you've nowhere else to go, which it strikes me you don't."

You thought for a moment. "Thank you Hamish, I was looking for some shelter."

Hamish smiled, "least I can do, if you hadn't found old Buell, I might have been the wolves dinner as well!"

You waited for Hamish to mount up, before you mounted your own horse. You then headed back to the track together.

You hadn't been riding long, when you approached a lake. Just across the other side, was a small cabin nestled on the shore.

"That's my place,"Hamish said, pointing to the cabin.

You smiled, "You're a lucky man Hamish, its a lovely spot."

Hamish smiled back, "All things considered, I think I am," he replied, looking down at his false leg.

Once you reached the cabin, you both hitched your horses, and he invited you inside.

It was small, but cosy.

"Coffee?" he asked.

You nodded, "Thank you, that would be nice," you replied.

Once he had made the coffee, you both sat down at the table.

"So," you started, "did you lose that in the war?" you asked.

Hamish chuckled, "straight talkin', I like that. Yeah, cannonball, and before you ask, was on the side of the union. But if we're talkin' straight Kara, what's your story? That looks like blood on your shirt?"

You looked down, you hadn't noticed. It must have been when you shot Micah.

"Yeah, its blood. I shot a man today, he tried to kill me twice, wasn't gonna give him a chance to make it three times lucky." you sighed.

"Are you on run now? From the law?" he queried.

You chuckled, "not exactly, he was an outlaw. Don't think there will be too many people mourning his death, or lookin' for retribution." You scoffed.

Hamish nodded. He took a swallow of coffee. You could see him looking at your face.

"You're running from something...or someone though." He concluded.

You thought of Dutch, the thought brought tears to your eyes. "Yes, I'm running from someone," your voice cracked.

Hamish looked at your makeshift bandage on your shoulder.

"Let me take a look at that shoulder," he suggested.

You nodded, you unwrapped the old shirt, and slipped your blouse off your shoulder.

Hamish narrowed his eyes, he could see some of the scars on your back.

Hamish's face darkened, "Did he hurt you Kara, you seem like a nice kid, a good kid. So if he did, that ain't right."

Hamish cleaned the wound, then bandaged it properly.

You pulled your blouse back over your shoulder, hiding the scars.

You wiped an errant tear from your eye. "No Hamish, he loves me, I love him. He saved my life twice."

Hamish frowned, "I don't understand, Kara. If you love him, what the hell are you doing talking to me?"

You sighed, "Your a hunter Hamish, you glanced at some of the trophies that lined his wall. You know what would happen if you caged a wild animal?"

Hamish nodded, his expression, looking as though he understood.

"When I do things he doesn't want me to do, he gets angry. He doesn't understand why I need to do the things I do." you sighed.

Hamish smiled, a knowing smile, "Maybe he loves you, and he don't wanna see you get hurt." he hesitated, "any more!"

"The man I killed, Hamish. Given the chance, he would have killed me, and everyone else. But D...He would have let him go, rather than me try and kill him, and risk me getting hurt." You looked at the floor. "There's someone else I gotta kill. If I go back, It'll never get done."

Hamish stood up and rested his hand on your shoulder.

"Ya know Kara, my old father said to me once, 'A man who desires revenge should dig two graves'"

You shook your head, "Maybe Hamish. But you saw those scars, Hamish, and there's more!"

You screwed up your face, "I'm gonna kill the man that did that to me, if its the last thing I do, I swear," you hissed.

Hamish looked at you and nodded. Before he could say anything, there was a loud bang on the door of the cabin.

"Kara...are you in there!"

You sighed and looked at Hamish, "Dutch...he's found me!" you muttered.


	27. Chapter 27

Hamish looked at you, and grabbed a rifle that was leaning up against the wall.

"Stay here," he said.

Hamish opened the door. Looking at him, he was quite an imposing man. His body framed the doorway.

"Where's Kara?" Dutch demanded.

Hamish, stood his ground, "Gentlemen, I don't want no trouble."

Gentlemen! You thought, that meant Dutch had someone with him, you looked out the cabin window. Arthur! You wondered what had happened to John, and Strauss.

"I don't want no trouble either, Mr?" Dutch questioned.

"Sinclair, Hamish Sinclair." Hamish replied.

"Well Mr Sinclair, I'm looking for Kara Finlay, is she inside?" Dutch asked.

Hamish nodded, "Yes she's inside, I've patched her up."

"Patched! Is she hurt...I need to see her," Dutch demanded.

Hamish narrowed his eyes, "I'm guessing if she wanted to see you, she wouldn't be sitting in my cabin!" he retorted.

"Please Hamish, I just want to talk to her," Dutch asked.

You called out, "It's ok Hamish, let him in."

You sighed, at least you could have it out with him, you thought.

Hamish stepped back from the door, leaving it free for Dutch to step inside.

Dutch didn't move for a second, just looked at you sitting on the chair, from the door way.

Then he couldn't seem to stop himself. He rushed through the door, and almost ran to where you were.

"Kara, are you ok," he blurted. His hand, gently touching your shoulder, where the bandage was.

Arthur stood in the doorway, whilst Hamish stood by the door, watching you and Dutch, then looking at Arthur.

Arthur looked at Hamish, and introduced himself.

Hamish tapped Arthur on the shoulder, "C'mon Mr Morgan, lets leave those two to talk. I'll take you out on the lake. Hopefully I can catch enough to feed the four of us."

Arthur nodded, and Hamish left the Cabin closing the door behind him.

You sighed, "I'm fine, its just a flesh wound."

"Damn it Kara, why don't you ever listen to a word I say, and why the hell did you take off!" he growled.

You stood up, knocking the chair over, as you backed away from him.

You shook your head, "because of that!" you retorted, "because I needed to do this, because all you ever do is tell me no, because when I ignore you, you lose it," you shouted, tears pooling in your eyes.

Dutch took a deep breath, and took a step closer.

He gently touched your face with his hand. "I only do it because I care about you, I don't want you to get hurt. Because I love you," he whispered.

You pressed you cheek into his hand, feeling its warmth. A tear trickled down you cheek.

"I love you so much," you whispered, your voice cracking. "But you're suffocating me. I feel like a wild bird, that's been put in a cage. Eventually, I'll just wither and die."

You looked him in the eye, "I can't live like that, Dutch. I won't live like that."

Dutch wrapped his arm around you, and pulled you closer. The hand on your face, gently wiping your tears away.

"Kara, please, just be patient with me. I lost the only other person I loved, killed right in front of me." Dutch glanced downwards, for a moment.

"I couldn't bear for that to happen again. I know I get overprotective sometimes. But its only because I care so much. When I think you're putting yourself in danger, I get angry with you. I don't mean to, its because I love you so much." he whispered.

You reached out, and touched his face. "Do you think we can work this out?"

He didn't answer, instead you felt his lips crash against yours, kissing you, more deeply than he had ever kissed you before. You kissed him back, wrapping your arms around him tightly.

The hand that was on your face, gently glided around to the back of your head, hold you tightly so you couldn't pull away. Not that you wanted to. Until he gently relaxed his grip, and allowed his lips to leave yours.

"We have to work this out, baby girl." he whispered.

Dutch took your hand, and you both walked out of the cabin. You sat on Hamish's porch. Dutch put his arm around you, "Now why don't you tell me what happened." he suggested.

You leant you head, into his chest, and told him what had happened. After you had recounted the story you looked up, "what about you, what happened in Valentine. Are John and Herr Strauss ok."

Dutch smiled. "we shot up most of Valentine, Strauss got a bullet graze," he smirked, "not unlike yours, only Strauss thought he was dying! John is fine, he took him back to camp."

You hesitated, "you do understand, why I did what I did, don't you?" You asked, solemnly.

Dutch kissed the top of your head, "I understand, I still don't agree with what you did, but I understand."

You lifted you head up, and looked up at him, a fire already in your eyes.

He put his finger to your lips, "It wouldn't have mattered if it had been you, or Arthur or John. Going off on your own, without backup, was foolhardy."

You rested your head, back on his chest. "I know," you whispered, "reckless."

Dutch chuckled, and kissed the top of your head again.

"So," he said, "tell me about Hamish."

You smiled, "I found him at the side of the road, his horse had thrown him, and galloped off with his leg."

Dutch hummed, "just as well he was a good man, and not some rogue!"

You chuckled, "what like you?"

"Oh I see, that's how it is now," he smirked, he hands grabbed you underneath the ribs, and he started to tickle you.

You squirmed, how did he know you were so ticklish.

"Please Dutch, stop," you squealed, "I'm gonna wet myself!"

Dutch carried on, until you squealed again. Then he stopped and wrapped his arm around you. "Your lucky, if you had a change of clothes, I wouldn't have been so merciful," he chuckled.

"Hamish lost his leg in the war," you concluded, quickly changing the subject.

Dutch raised his eyebrows. "What side was he on?"

you shrugged, "The union."

Dutch nodded, "my daddy fought and died in the war, he fought for the union too."

You looked over the lake, it looked like Hamish and Arthur, were just coming back. As the boat moored, it looked like they had both become firm friends.

Hamish looked across at you, "Everything ok?" he asked, smiling.

You nodded.

"Good, because we just caught a monster of a fish, which I wont be able to eat all by myself." he smirked.

Hamish opened the cabin door, "Come on in then, its not really designed for this number of people, but I'm sure we can survive, for just one night," he chuckled.

That night Hamish cooked the massive fish that he and Arthur had caught. Once you had eaten, Hamish regaled you all with stories of hunting, and fishing. Dutch went and fetched some whisky from his saddle bag, and you all sat and drank the whisky, while Hamish told stories of the war, and Dutch told Hamish about his fathers exploits, fighting for the union.

It was late into the night, when Hamish went to bed, and Arthur brought in the bedrolls.

You all slept soundly, it making a nice change to sleep with a proper roof over your head.

When you woke the following morning, You were lying on a bedroll. Dutch's arms were wrapped tightly around you. He was awake, and you wondered if he had been awake all night. You couldn't actually remember going to bed.

Hamish and Arthur, were already up, preparing coffee.

You looked at Dutch, "you should have woken me."

Dutch chuckled, "you looked so peaceful, and anyway, we have a long ride ahead of us, I wanted you to have as much rest as possible."

You stretched, and then got up. You both walked through to where Arthur and Hamish were sitting.

Once breakfast was done, and coffee was drank, you all walked outside. It was a fine sunny day.

Hamish handed Dutch some supplies for the journey.

"Here, otherwise I'll be eating god-damn fish for the next year," he chuckled.

Dutch smiled, "Thank you Hamish, and thank you for taking care of Kara for me."

Dutch wrapped an arm around you, and continued talking to Hamish, "If ever you need anything, send a letter to Tacitus Kilgore, I'm in your debt."

Hamish chuckled. "Think nothing of it, I would most probably be food for wolves, if Kara hadn't come along when she did."

Hamish stopped laughing, and his expression took on a serious tone, as he looked at you and Dutch.

"You two, be good to each other, you have something very special." Hamish hesitated, before he looked at you, "remember what my father said about revenge, Kara. I'm not saying the man don't deserve it, but just don't go looking for it. When the time comes, he'll get his just deserts. Maybe at your hand, maybe at someone else's. It don't much matter by who, as long as it happens."

You smiled at Hamish, "Thank you...for everything." you whispered, and hugged Dutch a little tighter.

"Go on with the lot of ya," Hamish concluded, "If you're ever in the area, drop in. It'd be good to see you!"

The three of you mounted up. Dutch didn't suggest you ride with him, so you guessed some of what was said had sunk in.

You all waved farewell to Hamish, and started the long ride back to the camp at Clemens Point, avoiding Valentine.

Every so often, Dutch would ride close to you, touching your arm, or your leg, asking if you were ok, to which you nodded and smiled.

You still wondered how he would be, when you got back to camp. You hoped that he had listened to what you had said, but there was still a nagging doubt in your mind, that once you were back with the gang, he would need to show them that he was the leader, and disobedience wouldn't be tolerated.


	28. Chapter 28

You arrived back at camp around noon. Arthur yelled out to Sean, who was on guard duty, and the three of you rode down the track to the hitching posts.

You were about to unsaddle the stolen horse, when Dutch went into full blown leader mode.

"Kieran!" he yelled.

The young boy came running over.

"Deal with the horses," he barked at the boy.

Dutch grabbed the Springfield rifle, that he had bought for you in Valentine.

"Arthur!" Dutch yelled, "take this, I want you to show Kara how to shoot, and when your done, she can relieve Sean."

Dutch then stared at you. "go change outta that bloody shirt, then find Arthur." he chucked you the package of clothes that he had bought you in Valentine. Which you caught. You winced slightly as the bullet graze was still a little sore. Dutch noticed, but said nothing.

Arthur, looked over at Dutch, "Are you sure that's a good idea, she's hurt her shoulder, and..."

Arthur didn't get a chance to finish, as Dutch interrupted him, an angry look on his face.

"Are you questioning me?" he snapped.

Arthur lowered his gaze, "No Dutch, I'll see to it."

You headed back to the tent. The trunk with all your things, was in Dutch's tent. You threw the new clothes in there, and took off the bloody blouse. So this was how he was going to assert his authority. At least he was getting you to do something useful, rather than trying to strangle you.

You took a quick look at the bandage that Hamish had put on, the wound was bleeding a little, but you ignored it.

You grabbed one of your old shirts. If Dutch wanted play tough gang leader, you were quite capable of being just another gang member.

You headed back to where Arthur was standing. Dutch watched you walk past, and glared. You completely ignored him, and continued walking towards Arthur.

Arthur had noticed.

"You really like playin' with fire, don't ya," he chided, as you approached.

You shrugged, "he said get changed, he didn't tell me what to wear!"

"C'mon," Arthur huffed, "there's a clearing on the edge of camp, I'll show you how to shoot."

"Ya know," Arthur said, as you were walking along, "You're lucky you didn't get a beatin' for that stunt you pulled in Valentine!"

You frowned, "why, does he regularly beat people for using their initiative, or didn't he really want Micah dead," you huffed.

Arthur shook his head, "It ain't that, and you know it. You could've been killed. If I'd of done that at your age, he would of beat me for sure!" Arthur sighed, "you're lucky its just extra guard duty shifts!"

You sighed, "I don't get him Arthur, why does he have to be that way. Did he beat you then?"

Arthur chuckled, "Sure, when I was about your age. Nearly got myself killed, after he told me not to do somethin', then I did it anyways. He beat me something fierce, but I never did it again. He was real sorry after, but it cured my reckless ways, and I never got another beating."

You rolled your eyes, "well he can beat me black and blue, if he wants. I ain't changing," you huffed.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "ya don't get it, do ya Kara. He don't do it because he wants to, or because he wants to change ya. He does it because he cares, and if a beatin' can stop you from being reckless, and not gettin' hurt..."

You rolled your eyes, "guess that sort of psychology don't work for me, I've had a busted arm, been whipped within an inch of my life, and now shot, by some fat cat. If I was out riding, and I saw Colm O'Driscoll, I'd chase him down and kill him. Even if it meant dying myself!" you growled.

Arthur didn't say a word, and you walked in silence until you reached the clearing.

You spent the next hour, learning how to hold and fire the rifle. How to reload it, and then a bit of target practice. By the time you had finished, your shoulder was sore.

"You ok?" Arthur asked, as you walked back to camp.

"Fine," you grumbled, "anyway I have to be, I've got guard duty, remember!"

You both walked over to where Sean was.

"You're relieved," Arthur said, tapping Sean on the shoulder.

Sean frowned, "I'm supposed to be here for another couple of hours!"

"Don't worry Sean, I've been a bad girl, so I'm doing extra guard duty," you quipped.

Sean patted you on the pack, "I'll have a beer waiting for you darling, when your done," he chirped, as he wondered off.

Arthur frowned, "you sure you're ok." he queried.

"I'm fine, you better get back, or Dutch will be wondering where you are," you scoffed.

Arthur rolled his eyes and walked back into camp.

You touched your shoulder, and winced. The blood from the wound, had now seeped through the bandage, and stained the shirt. The recoil from the rifle practice probably hadn't helped. You ignored it for now, and concentrated on watching the track.

Guard duty, as you found out, was mind numbingly boring. You could understand why Sean occasionally fell asleep. The only thing that stopped you was the fact that Hosea used to give Sean a smack, if he found him. As this was your first guard duty, even if it was some sort of punishment, you were determined to do it right.

You weren't quite sure how long you would be out here for. You reckoned it would be quite a long stint. After all you were finishing the rest of Sean's shift, and then there was your own. If Dutch had decided to give you a double shift, you could be here for hours.

To try and help you keep awake, you wandered up and down the path.

You knew you had been here a while, because you noticed the sun beginning to set through the trees.

Suddenly you heard a branch break. You spun around, pointing your rifle.

Hosea chuckled, "Steady on, Kara. Any intruders usually come from outside the camp, not inside."

You smiled, "guess I want to make sure I do it right, on my first time."

"Arthur was worried about your shoulder, is it ok?" Hosea asked.

"Sure Hosea, Its fine," you lied, hoping he wouldn't be able to see, as the light was fading.

Hosea frowned, "are you sure, let me see."

You backed up a step, "I can't stand here yapping," you quipped, "I'm supposed to be on guard duty!"

Hosea hummed, "I know you Kara, you can't con a conman."

You watched as Hosea walked back towards camp, then you heard him call out for Bill.

The two men walked towards you. Bill had a rifle in his hands.

"I'm relieving ya," Bill grumbled.

"I ain't done yet," you retorted.

Hosea, walked over. "Having someone unconscious on guard duty, isn't a good thing. You're bleeding Kara. Did you think I wouldn't notice!" he scolded.

You followed Hosea back into camp. "It's just a flesh wound, Hosea. Anyway, I'd prefer guard duty to a beating," you huffed.

Hosea stopped, and looked at you, "What are you talking about?"

"Arthur neglected to tell you, that these guard duty shifts I'm doing are Dutch's way of punishing me, for being disobedient. So you better patch me up, and I'll get back to it." you scoffed.

Hosea frowned at you, "did they know, that your wound had opened up again?"

You rolled your eyes, "Doesn't really matter, Kara's been disobedient, so she must be punished! I suppose I should be grateful that at least he didn't try to strangle me this time!"

Hosea chuckled, "He wouldn't have strangled you Kara, he was just trying to intimidate you. I think he may have met his match this time!"

You put the rifle down, and leant it against the table, perching on the edge of the table.

"You knew, didn't you? Did Arthur know as well?"

Hosea nodded, "we guessed. He wanted to see what you were made of!"

"Well I guess he knows now!" you huffed.

You stood up, as you did your head started to spin, and you staggered. You grabbed hold of the edge of the table to steady yourself.

Hosea grabbed hold of you.

"Kara, how long has this been bleeding for?" he demanded.

"Oh, since I changed my shirt," you laughed, hollowly.

"God-damn it," Hosea growled, "Here, lean on me." he commanded.

You did as Hosea asked, wincing as your shoulder was now beginning to hurt. Well, hurt more than it was before. You smiled inwardly. You'd never really seen Hosea cross. But he seemed cross now. You weren't sure who he was most annoyed with. You, Arthur or Dutch.

As you reached the tent, Dutch was sitting on a chair, reading. When he glanced up and saw you, being held up by Hosea, he jumped up and helped you to the cot.

"What the hell happened?" he demanded.

"When the hell did we start putting injured people on guard duty?" Hosea hissed, as he started to unbutton your shirt.

"It was only supposed to be a flesh wound," Dutch retorted.

As Hosea slid the shirt off your shoulder, he saw the once clean bandage, now a pool of dark red.

Hosea quickly went to the tent door, and yelled across the camp.

"Miss Grimshaw, Hot water, bandages and a needle and thread!" he yelled.

"Damn it, Kara. Why the hell didn't you say something?" Dutch yelled at you.

You were about to say something, but didn't even get a chance to open your mouth.

"Now isn't the time, Dutch," Hosea scolded, as he started to remove the blood soaked bandage.

It was your turn now, to feel the wrath of Hosea.

"You stupid fucking idiot," Hosea ranted, "this isn't just a graze!"

Surprisingly, Dutch came to your defence. At this point, you didn't really care. You were feeling too light-headed.

"Steady on Hosea, we all make mistakes!" he reasoned.

Susan Grimshaw, walked into to the tent, with the supplies that Hosea had asked for.

She glanced at your shoulder. "That's a bullet wound," she commented.

Hosea shot her a look of disdain, "Don't you think I can see that, get me some tweezers, and something to cauterize it with," he hissed.

Hosea looked back at you. "Lay down, this is going to hurt," he stated.

You laid down on the cot, "When doesn't it," you huffed, sarcastically.

Dutch sat down on the edge of the cot. "Just try and relax," he soothed.

You rolled your eyes, "Fucking easy for you to say, your not the one with a bullet in your shoulder."

Dutch glared at you, "and neither would you be, If you'd fucking done what I told you," he hissed, exasperation in his tone.

Dutch sighed, and shook his head, almost trying to rid himself of his anger. He stroked the hair off your forehead.

"lets just sort this out, what's done is done," he soothed.

You closed your eyes for a moment, and took a deep breath, trying to will the pain in your shoulder to cease.

You felt hands grasp your shoulder, and pain like fire in your shoulder.

Your eyelids snapped open, to see Hosea, digging around in your shoulder, with a pair of tweezers. You turned your head to the wall, stifling a scream by burying your face in the pillow. When you heard the clink of metal on metal, you knew that the bullet was out. Before you had a chance to relax, you felt another burning pain, and smelt burning flesh. You let out a stifled sob, into the pillow.

"Drink this," Dutch said, as you felt his hand at the back of your head, tilting it upwards. You drank from the bottle, feeling the burn of the whisky on the back of your throat, then the warmth as it hit your stomach. You just laid there, with your eyes closed. You didn't even feel the needle going into your skin, to stitch up the wound. There must be a limit to the amount of pain a person can feel, and you'd hit that threshold already.

You did feel the bandages going on, as the soft material wrapped around the parts of you that didn't hurt.

After a while you opened your eyes, and saw Dutch and Hosea standing on the other side of the tent.

They were looking at you, so you closed your eyes, you really didn't feel like confrontation.

"Do you think she's learnt her lesson," Hosea asked.

"I hope so," Dutch replied, "but somehow, I doubt it." he added.

"You don't need me to tell you to keep an eye on her tonight, do you." Hosea added.

"It's the only thing I can do right, is keep an eye on her, after she hurts herself." Dutch sighed. "Why do I always have to fall in love with the crazy arsed women, Hosea? I'm always gonna be worrying about what trouble she's gonna get in to next." Dutch complained.

You opened your eyes

"Dutch," you called.

He turned to look at you.

Hosea chuckled, "talking of crazy arsed women, I'll leave you to it."

You watched as Hosea left the tent, closing the flap behind him.

Dutch walked over, and sat on the edge of the cot.

"What am I gonna do with you, Kara?" Dutch whispered, as he stroked your cheek.

"I'm sorry, I couldn't let him get away, not after what he did." you apologised.

Dutch sighed, "listen to me," he screwed his eyes shut, and pinched the bridge of his nose, before opening his eyes again. "You keep doing what your doing, you're gonna get yourself killed. You were lucky this time. I know what you were going to do, if me and Arthur hadn't found you."

You sighed, "I need to do this Dutch, you just don't understand."

Dutch laughed mirthlessly. "Colm O'Driscoll, has hurt me more than you will realise. I've hated that man for over fifteen years. What he did to you, and to...Annabelle. I will get my revenge, and you will have yours. You just need to have patience, baby girl. You just need to trust me. You do trust me, don't you?"

You nodded. "Your not angry with me, are you?" you asked.

Dutch chuckled, "I was, but somehow, it never lasts with you."

He stood up, and pulled off your boots, then unbuckled your gun belt. He leant over you.

"But don't think your gonna keep getting away with disobeying me, because you won't!" he threatened, smirking at you.

He pulled off your trousers, and covered you up with a blanket, "Now get some rest." he commanded.

"Are you coming to bed too," you whispered.

Dutch smirked, "Later, I have some things to do, I wont be long."

He pressed his lips to yours, in a chaste kiss.

"Now be a good girl, and do as your told," he purred.


	29. Chapter 29

You realised when you woke up the following morning, that Dutch hadn't come to bed last night. There was no warm embrace, to be woken up to. If he'd wanted to punish you, then he'd succeeded.

He wasn't even there to scold you for getting up when you should be resting.

You kind of felt sorry for Molly. You wondered if this is how she felt, when she'd been shoved aside for you to take her place.

It was funny, he never mentioned that he loved Molly. Maybe it was one sided. You were pretty sure that Molly must have loved Dutch. It was easy to love him though, especially when you were getting his attention. Not so easy when you weren't.

You pulled on your jeans and boots. You walked over to the chest. The package containing the new clothes that he had bought for you in Valentine, was still there, where you had thrown it. You pulled out one of the new blouses, and put it on.

You found your gun belt draped over a chair, and quickly buckled that on too.

As you walked out the tent, you looked around, it was late, but there was no sign of Dutch, Hosea or Arthur.

You grabbed some stew, and sat by the edge of the lake, you figured you had some thinking to do.

Even with the breeze off the lake, it was hot and humid. Your shoulder was still sore, so you decided, to sit on the end of the jetty. You took your boots off, and dangled your feet in the cool water. Kicking the water around, watching the ripples make patterns on the lake.

You heard footsteps on the Jetty and looked around.

You were disappointed to see it was Mrs Adler, when you'd hoped it might be Dutch. Hoping that he might be missing you, like you were missing him.

You'd only really seen Mrs Adler once, up in the mountains, when Dutch and Arthur had brought her in.

She smiled, "mind if I join you?" she asked.

You shrugged, "sure."

She held her hand out, "Sadie Adler,"

You shook it, "Kara Finlay," you said, introducing yourself.

"How you doing?" she asked, "You've been through it, a bit ain't ya," she acknowledged.

You rolled your eyes, "Ya could say that, but I heard you haven't had it so good either," you concluded.

She nodded. "You and me, we got the same enemy I reckon. If you're gonna go searching for that bastard Colm O'Driscoll, you can count me in." she hissed.

You shrugged, "I ain't."

Sadie frowned, "What d'ya mean you ain't? After what he done to you. Don't you want revenge?"

You pointed at your shoulder, "That's what revenge got me, and an empty bed," you sighed. "friend of mine told me 'a man who desires revenge should dig two graves'. Guess that goes for women too," you added.

Sadie shook her head, "I thought you had a fire about you Kara. I didn't figure you for the giving up type."

You kick the water with your foot, "I ain't givin' up Sadie, I want to see Colm O'Driscoll dead as much as you do, I just ain't prepared to die for it. Not right now any way."

Sadie stood up, "Don't ever confuse living with existing Kara. If you change your mind, you know where to find me!"

You watched Sadie walk away, towards the camp fire.

You finished eating your stew, the stood up. You put your boots back on. In a way Sadie was right, you needed to live, not just exist. But Hamish, he was right about revenge. But so was Dutch. You had a funny feeling that if you'd agreed with Sadie, you'd now be riding out with her to find Colm. You'd learnt a lot, over the past few weeks, since meeting Dutch. One thing you did know, that running off to do something without thinking it through, was the wrong thing to do. But nor could you just wander around here for the rest of your days doing nothing.

As you walked away from the lake, you saw Sean and Karen heading towards you.

"What are you two hatching?" you asked, as they stopped in front of you.

"Why would you think that," Sean asked, a hurt expression on his face.

"Shut up Sean," you countered, "you're a lousy actor."

Sean laughed, and handed you a bottle of beer, "I always pay my debts, that's for the guard duty."

Karen sniggered, and handed you the Springfield rifle, that you had left next to the table yesterday.

"You don't want some bastard stealing that do ya," she quipped.

You looked at the rifle, and sighed.

Karen gave Sean a shove, "go make yourself scarce, me and Kara need to talk."

Sean frowned, looked hurt, which you thought might actually be sincere, but he wandered off just the same.

Karen put her arm around your shoulder, "C'mon, lets find somewhere quiet."

You both walked back down to the edge of the lake. There was an overturned log, which you both sat on.

"You look a little down, Kara. What's the matter? you wanna talk about it." Karen asked, sympathetically.

You sighed, "I'm feeling, deserted, frustrated, confused. Its like I don't know who I am any more."

Karen put her arm around you, "You killed Micah, didn't ya. That must make you feel good?"

"It did, then Dutch said it was reckless, I could have been killed. Then he said he loved me, then for the first time since we've been together, I slept alone last night." You sighed, "Now Sadie wants me to go with her to hunt down Colm O'Driscoll. But as much as I want to, I know I shouldn't because revenge is stupid, Hamish taught me that, so now I feel like a spare part, I have no purpose." you added.

Karen stared at you. "Don't you listen to Sadie. She's bitter after what happened to her in the mountains." she hesitated, "If Dutch said he loved ya, then he does. He never told Molly he loved her, I know that. She kept telling him she loved him, but he never said it back." she concluded.

You looked at Karen and smiled. "I think he's punishing me, for disobeying him. Extra guard duty didn't work, so I guess this is his idea of punishment," you held your head in your hands, "stupid thing is, its working." you sighed.

Karen chuckled, "he's punishing himself as well then, I heard you two the other night!"

Your face flushed bright red, as your hands dropped and looked at Karen.

"It was a good night then?" she chuckled.

You gave her a friendly punch on the arm, and grinned.

"See, that's better, I cheered you up, now put that rifle away, and we'll get a proper drink," she suggested.

You walked back into camp arm in arm. You quickly put the rifle in Dutch's tent, leaning against your chest, then followed Karen, around the back of Pearson's wagon. She grabbed a couple of bottles of whisky, and you found a big oak tree. The pair of you sat down, and started to drink.

"Won't Susan be looking for ya?" you asked.

"Pfft, let her look!" Karen said, knocking back several swallows of whisky.

After a little while, you began to feel sleepy, you rested your head against the tree. You could hear Karen's voice chattering away, until you drifted off to sleep.

You started to wake up, when you felt someone carrying you. Strong hands, holding you tight. As you opened your eyes you realised it was dark, but you could see that you were being carried back to the tent. Then you were being laid on the cot. You fully opened your eyes, as Dutch started removing your boots.

"Are you gonna leave me again," you mumbled, still half asleep.

Dutch sat on the edge of the cot, he smiled, as he gently stroked your face.

"No baby girl, one night away from you was enough," he purred.

Dutch started to unbutton your blouse, "did you wear this for me?" he asked.

You nodded, "but you weren't here," a tear trickled down your cheek.

"Hush now," he whispered, as he wiped the tear away with his thumb.

You stared into his dark brown eyes, and touched his face with your hand.

"I'm sorry, please don't punish me again," you begged.

Dutch frowned, "I didn't..." he hesitated, as realisation dawned on his face.

"Are you gonna be a good girl for me?" he asked, frowning.

You nodded, "I promise, Sadie wanted me to go and hunt for Colm with her, but I said no," you blurted.

Dutch's face darkened, "She did what?" he growled.

"Are you angry with me?" you whimpered.

Dutch's face softened, "No baby girl, not with you. But you should stay away from Mrs Adler, ok?" he soothed.

You nodded.

Dutch finished removing your clothes, then he undressed and climbed onto the cot.

Pulling the blanket over you both, he gently wrapped his arms around you, taking care to avoid your wounded shoulder.

His hand ran up and down your back, gently caressing your smooth skin, whilst he ran his fingers through your hair with the other one.

"How's that, baby girl?" he purred.

You hummed, your head resting on Dutch's shoulder, and your hand on his chest.

Every movement of his hand, sent shivers throughout your body. You were sure that he knew this. He seemed to enjoy the sensation of your body squirming underneath him. Sometimes he would run the tips of his fingers across your back and sides, looking for a particularly sensitive spot, that would make you moan, and try to wriggle away. But he would hold you tight. You tried to push his hand away, but he soon put a stop to that, removing his hand from your hair, and restraining your hands, until he was satisfied with you begging him to stop. All the time, his touch alone, would cause that heat to build up in your core. Pulsing and making you wet. Then with one touch, with his thumb or finger slipping inside, praising how wet you were, he would take you over the edge, before repeating the process, so that he could take his pleasure, whilst watching you fall apart in front of him. Only then did he allow your to drift off to sleep.

The following morning, when you woke, Dutch still had his arms wrapped around you.

Only once you were awake, did he leave the cot, and start to get dressed, in between staring at your nakedness.

It took all of his self control, to leave you alone. So you sat naked, hoping his self-control would fail. But it didn't, much to your dismay.

Dutch walked towards the tent flap, turning his head to look at you before he left.

"You better get dressed, if you're coming out with me today," he remarked, as he left the tent.

You quickly got dressed, you hadn't expected to be going anywhere today. Least of all with Dutch. Maybe Karen had been right, and he had punished himself as well.


	30. Chapter 30

Once you were dressed, you walked out the tent, and headed to where Dutch and Hosea were sitting.

Hosea was arguing with Dutch.

"No good will come of it, he was a powerful man." Hosea chided.

Dutch glared at Hosea, "Its done now, there isn't anything we can do about it, lets just put it behind us, and try and get enough money to leave!"

As you approached the table, both men stopped arguing, and looked at you.

You frowned, "Is something the matter?" you asked.

Dutch smiled at you, "No, baby girl, everything is just fine. Here eat some breakfast, then we'll head out." He pointed to the bowl of stew, which he'd already fetched for you.

Hosea stood up glaring at you, then at Dutch, then strode across the camp. Hosea, didn't usually get angry, but he was today. Just like he was in the mountain, when you wouldn't let him look at your arm.

"Did I do something?" you asked Dutch, in between mouthfuls of stew.

Dutch shook his head, "He's just worried, he'll get over it."

"Worried about what? The last time he looked like that was up in the mountains," you added, as you finished your stew.

Dutch rolled his eyes, "You let me worry about Hosea, now go and fetch that rifle, and stow it on your saddle. Arthur and Bill are waiting for us in Rhodes."

You stood up grinning, "are you taking me on a job?" you asked, hopefully.

Dutch smirked, "just a little one, how's your shoulder."

You rolled it, "fine," you confirmed.

"Good," Dutch concluded, "we'll see how you go today, before I let you loose with the boys."

You ran back over to the tent, and retrieved the rifle. Then you and Dutch, walked to the hitching posts. It seemed like an age since you had ridden Lucky. Thankfully she was a placid mare, so the lack of exercise, hadn't phased her. She had just got a bit on the fat side. You saddled her up, and slid the rifle into the saddle.

"I wasn't sure you'd let me go out doing jobs any more," you commented to Dutch, as you mounted your horse.

Dutch frowned, "I ain't gonna let you do anything too dangerous, but if you're left to your own devices, you might end up going off with Mrs Adler, and doing something crazy," he grumbled.

You smiled at Dutch, "I promised you I wouldn't, didn't I?"

Dutch smiled back, and nodded, "Yes you did, and I listened to what you said, when we were up at Hamish's cabin."

You both pushed your horses into a walk, and headed out of the camp.

"I'd like to live somewhere like that, one day," you admitted, "It was nice to have a proper roof over our heads."

Dutch nodded, "One day baby girl, that's exactly what we'll have. We just need to get back on our feet."

You smiled, you hoped someday you would, but for now this was enough, as long as you could stay out of trouble.

As you both approached Rhodes, you took in the sights of the town. You noticed a veteran, leaning against the side of the general store. He'd lost a leg, but unlike Hamish, he didn't have a false one just a crutch.

"Look at that poor man, he's lost a leg, just like Hamish," you whispered to Dutch, as you rode past the general store.

Dutch glanced at him, "he ain't nothin' like Hamish. Hamish is a good man, he's an inbred slaver. The likes of who killed my Daddy," he snarled.

Your face flushed slightly. You'd obviously hit a raw nerve.

"Maybe we shouldn't have headed this way," you observed.

"It's just as well we did, after you killed..." Dutch didn't finish the sentence, he didn't have to. Now you knew why Hosea was angry this morning.

You looked ahead, tears pooling in your eyes, you focused on the road ahead, and didn't say anything else.

Dutch rode close to you, and put his hand on your thigh. You looked at him, and bit your lip.

"I'm sorry," you whispered.

Dutch shook his head, "No baby girl, I'm sorry. Its not your fault. He might have been a powerful man, but that doesn't mean he can try and have people killed. It may even be for the best." he whispered.

You sighed, "Hosea, doesn't think so," you concluded.

Dutch's lips curved, in half a smile, "You leave Hosea to me!"

Dutch eventually stopped out side the sheriff's office.

"Dutch! What are we doing here," you gasped.

Dutch chuckled, "They don't know who we are, so we're hiding in plain site. They think I'm called Hoagy McIntosh. Now just follow my lead, ok?"

You nodded, as you dismounted and hitched your horse.

The pair of you walked into the Sheriff's office.

"Sheriff Gray," Dutch boomed, "good to see you again. Let me introduce you to my fiancée Kara Masterson! Kara, this is the fine Sheriff of Rhodes, Sheriff Gray."

You held out your hand, "Pleased to meet you Sheriff."

The Sheriff hummed, and shook your hand. He had a very weak grip. Randy had always said, weak handshake, weak man. He also smelled of strong liquor, but you smiled sweetly none the less.

Arthur and Bill were the next to walk through the door. You wondered what Dutch had in mind.

The Sheriff passed a bottle of whatever he was drinking to Arthur, before he staggered out the door.

You frowned, which caused both Arthur and Dutch to smirk.

You perched yourself on the edge of the Sheriff's desk, as Dutch handed Arthur and Bill a deputies badge. He had already put one on his own vest.

You pouted, "Don't I get one?" you asked, sulkily.

Dutch Chuckled, "I'm sorry my dear, but it seems that this town isn't forward enough to deputize the women!"

You rolled your eyes, just as the Sheriff staggered back in.

"Now," the sheriff blurted as he staggered to the desk. You quickly moved out the way.

"There's shine in them woods, if you could route it out I'm sure the state of Lemoyne, would be most grateful," the Sheriff drawled, as he collapsed into a chair.

"Leave it to us, Sheriff," Dutch enthused.

He wrapped his arm around your waist, and you both walked out of the jail house.

Outside the jail house was a wagon, a deputy was sitting in the drivers seat.

"Arthur, you ride with the deputy, we'll follow behind." Dutch added.

Arthur nodded, and cast you a quick smile, before mounting up onto the wagon.

You, Dutch and Bill, mounted your horses, and followed.

It didn't take long before you arrived near a swampy wooded area, which hid some sort of camp.

You all dismounted, while Arthur and the deputy climbed off the wagon.

The deputy looked at you, "You better stay here Miss, this ain't no place for a lady,"

You looked at Dutch, and rolled your eyes. He smirked.

"Oh deputy, this lady is more than capable of looking after herself, but if you insist!" he added.

The deputy looked at you, "Oh I do," he drawled. "Maybe you can just mind the horses, Miss."

You sighed, "of course, whatever you say," you huffed.

The men, walked further into the make shift camp. Whatever they were doing, there was no noise, until you heard an explosion, and all hell seemed to break loose.

You ran down the path, to find Dutch and the deputy, and several unconscious men, hog tied. Time for a bit of acting, you thought.

"Oh Dutch,"you ran over to him and wrapped your arms around his waist, "I was so worried, when I heard all the commotion," you wailed.

The deputy, frowned. He'd clearly told you to stay put.

Dutch saw the look on the deputies face, "She's a delicate little thing, she does worry about me," he explained.

"There there, my dear, I'm perfectly fine," he cooed.

"Maybe you should leave the little lady at home, next time," the deputy grumbled.

You looked at Dutch, and grinned then stifled a giggle, by burying your face in his chest.

Finally the gunfire ceased, as Arthur and Bill appeared from the trees.

"Well," Dutch countered, releasing you, "we should really be getting back."

He glanced across at the deputy, who was standing next to a wagon of moonshine.

"Ah, Seems like we failed to destroy the last of the moonshine, I'm sure we can take care of it for you," Dutch concluded.

The deputy's face flushed slightly, "well its kind of a perk of the job, but why don't you take it, to show there's no hard feelings on account of the war!"

Dutch smirked, "we're all Americans,"

The deputy turned away, "some of us more than others," he muttered, as he shepherded the prisoners back to the prison wagon.

Dutch chuckled, and looked at you, "now its time for you to earn your keep, can you drive a wagon?" he asked.

You nodded, "Sure."

"Well take it back to camp, let Hosea know, it might put you back in his good books," he chuckled.

You smiled, "here's hoping!"

You climbed up on the wagon.

Dutch grabbed the rifled from your horse, and tossed it to you. You caught it, without any problem.

"Just in case you run into any problems," he remarked.

You put the rifle in the foot well, and collected up the reins. You gave them a quick snap, to urge the horses forwards, and headed back to camp. You whistled to Lucky and she followed you.

The men mounted there horses, and galloped down the path ahead of you.

Dutch gave you a backwards glance before he disappeared from view.

You smiled to yourself. He must have listened to what you said, back at the cabin. Leaving you to bring back the wagon, must have been hard for him. It made you love him all the more.


	31. Chapter 31

For once, doing a simple job for you was uneventful. For that, you were immensely grateful.

If anything had happened on the journey back, you felt you would probably be stuck in camp for the rest of your life.

It was nice to be out and about again, and even nicer to have a little quiet time to yourself. The only sound the breeze in the trees and the clinking of the moonshine bottles in the back of the wagon.

As you neared the camp, you found a secluded spot, in the trees, just a little walk from the main camp area.

You hopped down off the wagon, remembering to pick up the rifle, from the foot well.

Lucky had followed you in, so you quickly stashed the rifle, in her saddle, and lead her back to the hitching area.

As usual Dutch's eyes were glued to the path, brows furrowed. You could see the look of relief on his face, as soon as he saw you.

Hosea was sitting nearby, and it looked like his mood had improved as well.

"Any problems?" Dutch asked.

You grinned, "none, it was just like taking a pleasant Sunday afternoon jaunt."

You looked at Hosea, "except I don't reckon the preacher would be too happy if I turned up with a wagon full of moonshine, You on the other hand..." You smirked.

Hosea tilted his head, "A wagon of moonshine you say?"

Dutch interjected, "belonging to the Braithwaite's, maybe you should see what you can do, Hosea?"

Hosea chuckled, "I'll certainly try."

You frowned slightly, "Why exactly are we helping the Sheriff?"

Dutch chuckled, "Gold, both families are rich, we just need to relieve them of it!" he exclaimed.

"But Subtly," Hosea added.

Dutch nodded, "we just need to poke around a little, see what's what."

You smiled, "maybe I should take a back seat, Subtlety was never really my strong point."

Hosea nodded, "Leave the Grays and the Braithwaite's to us. I'm sure there are other things you can be doing, but just try and remember to keep a low profile."

You nodded, you were tempted to make a joke about Leviticus Cornwall, or rich businessmen but you figured that now wasn't exactly a good time.

"Do you still have that watch, that you lifted off the poker player in Blackwater?" Hosea asked.

You frowned, "Yes, I've not really been in much of a position to do anything with it."

"Go and find Arthur," Hosea suggested. "Ask him to introduce you to Seamus, he's the fence at Emerald Ranch. He also deals in carriages and wagons, we did some work for him. Once he knows you, you can probably start dealing with him." Hosea added.

Dutch frowned, "but no jumping off horses onto wagons," he chastised. "I'd like to keep you in one piece for a while, if that's possible." he smirked.

You cast him a sultry look, "I'll go and find Arthur!"

Dutch licked his lips and narrowed his eyes, "Don't be too long," he rasped.

You found Arthur at a camp fire with Charles.

Arthur was cooking some meat on the end of his knife, and Charles, was doing something with some arrows.

"Pearson's stew not good enough for ya," you smirked, as you watched him eat.

He rolled his eyes, "you want some?" he asked,

You smiled, "wouldn't say no, if its as good as what Charles brought me the other night"

Arthur handed you his knife, with a piece of meat on the end, "I ain't feedin' ya though!" he smirked.

You took it, and bit into the tender meat. Smiling as the flavour hit your taste buds.

"Maybe I should teach you how to hunt your own?" Charles suggested.

You nodded, "I'd like that, but you might need to show me how to cook it too!"

Both men chuckled.

"Did you actually come over here for a reason, or just to steal my food," Arthur scoffed.

You chuckled. "Hosea suggested you take me to meet Seamus, at Emerald Ranch."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "I hope you ain't planning to jump on to any moving vehicles!"

You scowled, "Not you as well, it happened one time!" you huffed.

Charles chuckled, "that's the thing around here, you make a mistake once and its with you for life!"

Arthur grinned, "yeah like Bill and Dynamite!"

You frowned, and Arthur laughed, "best you ask Bill."

You shook your head, "So, what's first...hunting or the fence?"

Both men looked at each other, "Hunting," they echoed together.

The three of you laughed, it seemed that Arthur was a lot happier when he was with Charles, and Charles friendly nature seemed to be contagious.

"We'll go tomorrow, you should be quite safe," Charles smirked, "Deer don't tend to shoot back!"

You handed Arthur his knife back, minus the meat.

"Until tomorrow then," you grinned, as you headed back to the tent you shared with Dutch.

The following morning, you awoke early. The sun had only just risen. Dutch was already awake, but like most mornings, his arms were wrapped around you, and he would just be laying there gazing at you.

This morning however, he was surprised that you were awake, quite so early.

You kissed him on the lips, and wriggled out of his grasp, as you clambered off the cot.

"Where are you going, baby girl," he asked, somewhat disappointed.

You quickly started to dress.

"I'm going hunting, with Arthur and Charles," you quickly explained.

Dutch sat up on the cot, the blanket pooled around his midriff.

"I hope you're not gonna make a habit of leaving me like this," he smirked, sulkily.

You walked back over to the cot, dipped your head down to kiss him goodbye. Before you knew it he had one arm snaked around your waist, and the other at the back of your head. Pulling you in closer, as he kissed you hungrily, like a starving man.

You didn't protest, however, and wrapped your arms around him, kissing him back.

Eventually he allowed you to pull away.

He stroked your cheek, "be careful out there, baby girl," he purred.

You smiled, "I'll be back before you know it, and anyway I have Arthur and Charles looking after me."

As you turned to leave, you glanced back at Dutch one more time. You saw something different in his eye this time, a hint of jealousy, perhaps. You shrugged it off, and walked across the camp to find Arthur and Charles.

Arthur and Charles were already waiting by the horses, so you quickly ran over and mounted up.

The three of you rode towards Emerald Ranch, then headed a little further north, to the Heartland Overflow.

This was a good place for hunting, with a variety of wild animals. Today though, you would be hunting deer.

Arthur and Charles pulled up, and you followed suit. All three of you dismounting.

Charles pointed out the deer tracks, and showed you how to track.

After a few hundred yards you could see a herd of deer in the distance.

Charles handed you a bow. You looked slightly nonplussed

"I've never used a bow before," you admitted.

Charles stood behind you, and put the bow in your hands. Showing you how to position it.

It felt a little strange, having Charles stand behind you so close. The only person who was usually this close was Dutch. You could feel Charles chest, rising and falling as he stood behind you, showing you how to hold and aim the bow.

Once he'd showed you the basics he stepped away, your face had already flushed slightly. You decided to concentrate on taking the shot. You moved a little closer to your prey, crouching down so as not to alert them. You knocked the arrow, pulled back, aimed and let the arrow fly.

The aim was good, and the animal fell, with an arrow through its eye.

The three of you walked over, and Charles handed you a knife.

"You need to skin it," he suggested.

You frowned, "I thought we would be taking the whole thing back," you queried.

Charles laughed, "If you ever go out hunting alone, you wont be able to lift the whole carcass onto your horse. Not unless either myself or Arthur are with you to do it for you!"

You nodded, you could see that made sense.

Once again, Charles was behind you, his hand on yours, guiding the blade over the carcass of the animal. His other hand, resting on your shoulder. He was so close, you could feel his breath on your neck, making the hairs stand up.

Once you had finished skinning the deer, he whispered in you ear.

"Well done Kara, we'll make a hunter of you yet!"

You felt your face flush slightly, as you stood up, and stowed the skin on the back of your horse, and the meat in the saddle bag.

The three of you mounted back up, and hunted a couple more deer. Charles suggested you skin them, which you agreed. He insisted on helping you once again with the next one, but the final one, you said you were quite able to do by yourself. He looked a little disappointed, but allowed you to do it.

You didn't say anything, but you were feeling a little uncomfortable. Charles was trying to get close to you at every opportunity. Maybe he was just being friendly, but it didn't feel the same friendly as when you had hugs with Sean or Lenny.

You looked over at Arthur, "Maybe you should introduce me to Seamus," you suggested, "we're fairly close to Emerald Ranch," you added.

Arthur looked at Charles, "Charles, why don't you head back, Seamus can be a bit antsy with people he doesn't know. Two strangers might just tip him over the edge," he chuckled.

You looked across at Charles, who didn't seem too happy with the outcome. You on the other hand, were more than happy.

Charles nodded, "I'll see you both back at camp," he huffed, as he spurred his horse away.

You and Arthur, headed off towards Emerald Ranch. As you were riding, you glanced at Arthur.

"Arthur? Can I ask you a question?" you asked.

Arthur glanced at you and nodded, "Sure, Kara. What is it?"

"Is Charles always that..." you hesitated, "hands on?" you added as your face flushed slightly.

Arthur looked at you and frowned, then realisation dawned on his face.

"Oh shit!" he exclaimed, "I better have a word with him."

You smiled, "I'd be grateful if you did. If Dutch knew, he'd go crazy!"

Arthur nodded, "c'mon lets go and see Seamus," he suggested, quickly changing the subject.

Seamus was standing by the barn, when you both rode over. He waved to Arthur, but frowned at you.

You both hitched your horses, and walked over to Seamus.

"Seamus!" Arthur greeted him, "this is my good friend and colleague, Kara Finlay," he enthused.

You held out your hand, "Pleased to meet you Seamus," you said, smiling.

Seamus narrowed his eyes, looked at Arthur, then looked at you before taking your hand and shaking it.

Seamus smiled, "Any friend of Arthur's is a friend of mine...I guess."

You clapped Seamus on the shoulder, "Now I'm not one for small talk Seamus, but I hear you may be interested in some merchandise."

Seamus smirked, "Come into my Office, Kara."

He walked behind a counter and leant onto it, "What do you have?"

You reached into your satchel, and pulled out the watch you had lifted from the gambler, in Blackwater. You placed it on the counter, your hand cupped over the top of it. You looked Seamus in the eye, and slowly removed your hand.

Seamus turned the timepiece over, a glint in his eye. He smiled at you.

"Fifty," he whispered, quickly looking over his shoulder.

You smiled, "nice doing business with you Seamus,"

Seamus quickly slid the watch under the counter, and slid fifty dollars across to you. You quickly picked up the money and put it in your satchel.

"Remember, not a word." he hesitated, "but feel free to come back if you come by anything else," he smirked.

You smiled, "Don't worry Seamus, I will."

You walked over to where Arthur was standing, leaning against a fence, smoking a cigarette.

Arthur smiled, and threw the butt on the ground, grinding it into nothing with his boot.

"You could fucking charm the birds off the trees, you could," he smirked.

You grinned back, as you mounted your horse.

"C'mon Arthur, lets go home."


	32. Chapter 32

You arrived back at camp, mid afternoon. Once you'd both hitched your horses, you removed the deer pelt, and the majority of the meat, from your saddlebag, leaving a little behind for you to cook later.

Arthur did the same, and handed you his pelt and meat.

"You might as well take the lot over to Pearson as you're heading that way," he suggested.

You did a mock salute, "yes sir," you scoffed.

Arthur rolled his eyes, and walked away.

You headed over to Pearson's wagon, and chucked the meat and the skins on his table.

"Well well, haven't you been busy," he chuckled. He took a closer look at the deer hides, "these are almost perfect," he added, "I could make something for the camp, with these."

You thought for a moment, "could you knock up a rug, for Dutch's tent?"

Pearson smiled, "of course, do you want me to give it to you when its done, or sneak it in."

You thought for a moment, "just sneak it in, it'll be a nice surprise."

You headed back over towards the tent, as you approached, Dutch was standing there with his arms folded across his chest.

He stared at you, "Good day?" he huffed.

You nodded, "Pearson is happy, he has plenty of meat, and Arthur introduced me to Seamus."

Dutch looked at you, and narrowed his eyes, "sounds as though Charles enjoyed himself too!" he scoffed.

You sighed, "Arthur told you."

Dutch scowled, "well it doesn't appear that you were going to." he growled. "and the way he's looking at you, doesn't seem that you've complained about it too much either."

You rolled your eyes, "Your jealous!" you exclaimed.

"I have every right to be, when you go off flirting with everyone, all I want is a little loyalty!" he snapped.

You stared at Dutch and shook your head, "I don't believe you just said that, I'm not Micah!" you retorted.

You saw the look on his face as you walked into the tent, it was like you had just poured salt on an open wound. But you didn't care. How dare he accuse you of being disloyal.

You quickly changed your clothes, as the ones you had been out hunting in had blood on them.

You stormed out the tent, and strode across towards where you had hitched Lucky.

"Where are you going?" Dutch yelled after you.

You ignored him, and mounted Lucky.

You rode out of camp, tears pooling in your eyes. "As far away from you as possible," you muttered under your breath.

You headed into Rhodes, and made your way to the saloon. You paid for a room, and headed up the stairs. The rooms in the parlour house, were quite pleasant. You didn't really care though. Anywhere would be better than being near to Dutch right now. Let him see how he liked it, when you spent the night away. It wasn't like you accused him of cheating or being disloyal, when he didn't spend the night with you, or when he disappeared off for the day.

You threw yourself on the bed, and started to sob. How could he think that of you. When he knew he was the only man you had ever been with, or even kissed.

Maybe that was it, now he had stolen your virginity, he wanted to find an excuse to get rid of you.

You carried on crying, until you were so exhausted you drifted off to sleep.

You awoke, to the sound of someone banging on the door.

"Kara, baby girl, please open the door. I know you're in there."

You heard Dutch's voice on the other side of the door. You wondered how he had found you. There was no way on earth he would have asked Charles to track you.

You walked to the door and turned the key, opening it up a crack.

Dutch took one look at your tear stained face, and a veil of sadness covered his face.

He push the door open and walked towards you, wrapping his arms around you before you had a chance to protest.

"I'm so sorry," he whispered.

You pulled away, and looked him in the eye, tears once again, cascading down your cheek.

"If you don't trust me, what is the point?" you sobbed.

Dutch cupped your face in his hand, wiping away the tears with his thumb.

"I'm sorry Kara, I can't help it. I get so jealous. Its only because I love you so much. Only because I wonder why you would want to be with someone like me," he whispered, his voice cracking.

"Why would I want to be with anyone else," you sobbed, "I've only ever loved you, because you're the only person who's ever loved me!"

Dutch wrapped his arms around you, and his lips crashed against yours. You kissed him back, hungrily.

As you did, he lifted you into his arms and carried you to the bed.

At that moment, how he found you, didn't seem as important as the fact, that he had wanted to find you.

You both had your doubts, as to why you could be loved. But at that moment in time, they evaporated into the ether.

You both fumbled with each others clothing, trying to undress each other as fast as you could. As though there was some invisible clock ticking.

You threw each others clothes away, not caring where they landed.

Dutch grabbed your wrists, pinning them at the side of your head, legs astride your body.

He kissed you hungrily. As he broke the kiss, he grabbed your bottom lip in his teeth, nipping it gently.

"Your mine," he growled, "and everyone is gonna know it!"

He gently pulled your hands down, pinning them by your sides.

His tongue, penetrated your folds and darted across your clit. You mewled as your hips bucked, his tongue swirling circles, bringing you close to the edge, then nothing.

He looked at you grinning, seeing the need in your face.

You groaned, "please Dutch...don't..."

"Who do you belong to?" he growled.

"You, Dutch, I belong to you...just please..." you begged.

"Yes," he growled, "you belong to me!"

You gasped, as you felt him enter you, not slow and gentle, but hard, fast and rough. You moaned as his tip hit your sweet spot, over and over, with his hard and fast thrusts.

You felt yourself falling as your back arched.

"That's it baby girl, let it go, all for me," Dutch grunted, as your climaxed together, pushing you over the edge, into blissful oblivion.

For the first time, since you had been together, your love making had been rough, but even more intense and passionate. More akin to animals rutting, than two people making love to one another.

Once it was over, you both lay on the bed, exhausted, both physically and emotionally.

Dutch gently stroked your sweat laden hair out of your face, and stroked your cheek.

"I'm sorry if that was too rough baby girl, but I needed you to know that your mine," he soothed.

You rolled towards him, your fingers playing with the hair on his chest, and feeling the strength of his muscles.

"Don't be sorry," you whispered, "I needed you make love to me, like you really meant it."

Dutch chuckled, and wrapped his arms around you, pulling you close, so the sweat on your two bodies, merged.

"Never doubt that whenever I'm with you, I always mean it," he whispered.

"And don't you ever doubt that I'm yours," you whispered back.

You closed your eyes, the warmth of his body against yours, his steady breathing and the thud of his heartbeat, sending you into a deep sleep. 

Shafts of sunlight penetrated the curtains, of the parlour house room. You woke slowly, taking a little time to realise where you were. Then a smile crept across your face.

Dutch lay on his side, one arm still wrapped around you, the other propping up his head, as he gazed at you.

"How long have you been staring at me?" you smirked.

Dutch trailed his fingers up and down your spine, sending tingles through your body.

"Long enough," he purred.

He gently kissed your forehead. "We should really get back," he sighed.

You sighed, and nodded, as you both reluctantly got up.

It took a few minutes to find your clothes, as they had been randomly thrown around the room the previous night.

As you found the final article of clothing, you suddenly felt Dutch's arms wrap around you again. Your back pressing into his chest, as he peppered kisses on you neck and shoulder.

"I thought we had to get back?" you whispered, as tremors ran through your body, once again.

"We do," he purred, "but I just wanted to hold you, touch you, before we go back."

Dutch ran his hands across your stomach, then nipped and sucked at your neck, leaving a mark.

"Now everyone will know who you belong to, baby girl," he purred.

He let you go, and the pair of you got dressed.

You looked in the mirror. A big purple Hickey, stood out like a sore thumb on your neck. You put your fingers on it, as you felt your face flush.

You saw Dutch standing behind you, in the mirror, he was grinning.

"Come here," he commanded, smiling.

You turned around and walked towards him. Dutch took hold of your hand, and guided you back to the bed. He sat down on the bed, and patted the space next to him.

"Sit down," he whispered.

As you sat down, he was still holding your hand. Dutch reached into his waistcoat pocket, and pulled something out. You couldn't see what it was, until he slipped it onto your finger.

It was gold, and almost the same design as the one he wore on his own hand, except this one was smaller and more petite, and was engraved with a K.

You stared at him, open mouthed.

"I told you that you were mine, and I meant it," he whispered.

He cupped your face in his hand, as his lips pressed against yours in a gentle but deep kiss.

When he withdrew, he smiled, "Now everyone will know that your mine."


	33. Chapter 33

You both left the room and headed downstairs to the saloon.

Dutch suggested breakfast before you went back to camp, which you happily agreed to. It would make a nice change to eat something other than Pearson's stew.

You sat at one of the booths in the parlour house, with a plate of ham and eggs in front of you.

Even with the appetizing food sitting in front of you, you weren't that hungry. You just kept looking at the ring, that Dutch had slipped on your finger, turning it around and staring at it from different angles.

You were brought out of your thoughts, when you felt Dutch's hand on yours.

"Is everything ok," he asked, a worried look on his face. He looked at the ring on your finger.

"It's not too soon... you do like it?" He fretted.

You smiled, contentedly, "No, its perfect...It's just..."

"What? What is it?" he asked, slight panic in his voice.

You bit your bottom lip, "no ones ever given me a gift like this before, well actually a gift at all." you admitted.

You put your other hand over the top of his. "You've no idea what this means to me," you added, blinking back the tears.

Dutch grabbed both of your hands in his. He brought them to his lips, and kissed them gently.

"I just want you to be happy," he gushed, "I'll do anything, to make you happy, Kara." he confided.

You took a deep breath, trying to force down the feeling that your heart was about to burst out of your chest.

"I am happy, you've no idea how happy I am." you gushed.

Dutch smiled, "Lets finish up here, then we can head back."

Once you had finished breakfast, Dutch took your hand, and you walked out of the parlour house, to where the horses were hitched.

You were surprised to find only The Count hitched. You looked around.

"I'm sure I hitched Lucky here," you grumbled.

Dutch turned to face you, and held your cheek in his hand.

"I hope you don't mind, but I asked Arthur to take Lucky back to camp," he explained.

You frowned, "Arthur!" you exclaimed.

Dutch smiled, "I had to ask Arthur to find you, he tracked you for me."

You chuckled, "of course he did. No I don't mind, as long as Lucky's safe."

Dutch gently kissed your lips. "Then my lady, let me escort you home," he grinned.

He lifted you up and put you on The Count's back, then he mounted up behind you.

Dutch wrapped his arm around your waist, and pulled you close to him.

You chuckled, "any excuse to get your hands on me, eh!"

Dutch gently kissed your neck, "I don't need an excuse, not any more!"

He urged The Count on, and you headed back to camp.

As you headed down the track to camp, Dutch called out "Dutch and Kara comin' in."

You noticed Charles was on guard duty. You wondered if Dutch had made him do extra shifts, as payback for making a play for you.

Once you reached the hitching area, Dutch jumped off The Count, and then lifted you down.

He wrapped his arm around your waist, and you wrapped your arm around his, as you walked back into camp.

"Dutch?" you asked, "you didn't give Charles extra guard duty shifts, because of what he did, did you?"

Dutch hummed, then chuckled, "I didn't, I'm not that small minded! Arthur had a word with him though, he wont be muscling in on anyone's woman in future."

You flushed slightly, although you were glad it was Arthur rather than Dutch who'd spoken to him. You knew what Dutch could be like, when he lost his temper.

Hosea and Arthur, were sitting at the table, they both smiled, as the pair of you walked towards them.

"You decided to come back then?" Arthur smirked.

"Didn't have much choice did I, after you stole my fucking horse," you chuckled. "Besides..." you continued, and put your hand flat on the table, so that both men could see the ring.

Hosea and Arthur stared at the ring, then at you, then at Dutch.

"What does this mean?" Hosea asked.

"It means," Dutch said, "That Kara, is mine. I don't want anyone thinking she's a free agent, 'cos she ain't."

"Kara?" Hosea queried.

"I'm Dutch's, if anyone thought any different, they'll know now."

"What the hell does that even mean?" Arthur asked, "you gonna stay in camp all the time now?"

You frowned, "Certainly not, I'll still do jobs with you boys."

Dutch nodded, "I just don't want the boys gettin' any ideas, like Charles had!"

"I can still give you a hug then?" Arthur smirked, "or clip you round the earhole!"

You chuckled, "not sure about the clip around the ear, but the hug, definitely"

Arthur stood up, and walked around the table to where you were standing.

"Come 'ere then," he chuckled.

Dutch let you go, and you walked over to Arthur. He gave you a big hug.

"Congratulations," he looked over at Dutch, "to you both."

Arthur let go of you, and you walked back over to the table.

"You gonna make a grand announcement then?" Arthur asked, glancing at Dutch.

Dutch smiled, "I think we might have a little party, to celebrate. What do you reckon, Kara?"

You smiled, "I think that's a wonderful idea."

Arthur smirked, "In that case Dutch, I'm gonna steal your woman for a couple of hours!"

Dutch frowned, "Where are you going?"

Arthur chuckled, "if I told you that, it wouldn't be a surprise!"

Arthur grabbed your hand, "C'mon, I'll tell you on the way."

You grinned at Dutch and shrugged your shoulders, as Arthur dragged you across the camp towards the horses.

Dutch chuckled and sat down, with Hosea.

"You sure you're doing the right thing?" Hosea asked.

Dutch chuckled, "for once, yes. This is exactly the right thing."

You and Arthur quickly mounted up, and headed out of the camp. You headed further south, steering clear of the swamps, until you entered a fairly dense forest.

Arthur reined in his horse, so you did the same.

"What are we doing here, Arthur?" You asked, slightly confused.

Arthur shushed you, and dismounted.

"We're hunting," Arthur whispered.

You frowned, there were some animal tracks, going through the trees, but you weren't sure what they were. You had only tracked once, and that was for deer. These definitely weren't deer tracks.

Arthur grabbed his bow from his saddle, and you did the same.

Arthur crouched down, and started following the tracks. You followed him, keeping an eye out for any animals.

Arthur suddenly stopped and held up his hand, signalling for you to stop too.

Ahead, foraging around and making snorting noises, was a wild boar. It was huge, and had 2 large tusks protruding from its mouth. One false move, and you knew it would charge. You did wonder if an arrow would be enough to take it down.

"get an arrow ready," Arthur whispered.

You pulled out your bow, and knocked an arrow, as Arthur did the same.

"On the count of three," he whispered, "three...two...one..."

You both let fly your arrows at the same time.

The boar let out a blood curdling shriek, then fell to the floor.

Seeing that the animal wasn't moving, you both ran over, the animal was dead. You pulled out your knife, ready to skin it.

Arthur shook his head, "No, we need to take it back whole."

You frowned, "why? And how the hell are we gonna get it back."

Arthur chuckled, "If we're having a party tonight, to celebrate you and Dutch being together, the last thing we want to be eating is Pearson's fucking stew!"

You chuckled, "maybe we should celebrate people being together more often, anything to not have to eat that stew, morning noon and night! Now how the hell are we gonna get this beast back to camp?"

It took the pair of you to carry the massive boar, back to the horses. You stowed it on Lucky, which took up the whole of the saddle, and the part of her back where you would normally have stowed a deer.

Arthur attached her reins to his saddle, and you rode behind Arthur all the way back to camp.

It was a stroke of luck, that you had hunted this beast this morning, because it was going to take the best part of the day to cook.

The look on Pearson's face, was priceless when you both brought it in. Sean insisted on helping Arthur carry it, rather than you. You didn't protest too much, as the damn thing felt like it weighed a ton.

Dutch and Hosea, walked over to see what the commotion was all about.

"My god, what the hell is that," Dutch asked, eyes wide.

Arthur smirked, "That my dear Dutch, is going to be a hog roast. Its not everyday we have an official celebration!"

Dutch chuckled, as he looked at you, "but you won't be celebrating anything unless you get changed, and cleaned up. You look like you just came out of a slaughter house!"

You looked down at your clothes, which were covered in boar blood, and chuckled.

You were about to go back to the tent, when you stopped. You ran across to where Pearson, was struggling with the boar.

"Mr Pearson, I just wondered if you'd had a chance to do anything with the deer pelts?"

you asked.

He scowled at you, obviously in a bad mood with the task at hand. "Yeah, I put the rug in the tent last night, while you were both out of camp," he muttered.

You smiled, "Thank you, do you need some help with that?" you asked, pointing at the boar.

Pearson looked at your clothes, covered in blood. "I guess I could use some help, its not like its gonna ruin your clothes, is it." he smirked.

You looked across the camp, "Oi, Sean, Bill come over here a minute."

Both men who had been sitting with a bottle of beer, rolled there eyes and grumbled, but sauntered over anyway.

"You're gonna be eating this too, come and give us a hand," you demanded.

Pearson, had already skinned the boar. But he was never going to be able to move it by himself.

With all four of you working on it, you finally managed to get the boar on a spit, and above the fire.

By the time you had finished, you were all covered in the boar's blood.

Susan Grimshaw came marching over.

"If you lot think your gonna run around my camp, covered in blood, you've got another think coming. Now go and clean yourselves up."

You chuckled. You quickly went to the waters edge and cleaned the blood off your face and hands, before heading back to the tent to change.

Once you were inside the tent, you looked at the deerskin rug on the floor. Pearson had done a really good job. But then so had you, as one of the skins was your handy work.

You quickly changed, making sure not to put your bloody clothes anywhere near the new rug.

You walked outside the tent, and saw Dutch, deep in conversation with Hosea.

"Dutch? Have you got a minute." you called out.

You saw Hosea grin, and say something, which caused Dutch to chuckle. You didn't hear what he said, but anything which made Dutch laugh, was worth it.

Dutch stood up and wandered over. You had closed the tent flap, so he couldn't see inside.

"Close your eyes," you said, grinning.

Dutch narrowed his eyes, "What? Why?"

"Please," you begged.

Dutch smiled, and closed his eyes.

You carefully lead him inside the tent.

"You can open them now," you concluded.

Dutch opened his eyes.

"Just a little gift," you smiled.

He crouched down on the floor and ran his hands over the rug.

He stood up, "Come here," he commanded, smiling.

You walked over, and he wrapped his arms around you.

"I don't deserve you," he whispered.

You smirked, "yes you do, because sometimes I can be a troublesome pain in the arse."

Dutch chuckled deeply, "Yes, but you're my pain the arse," he purred, as he picked you up and carried you to the cot.


	34. Chapter 34

It was late into the afternoon when you and Dutch emerged from the tent. Despite having spent most of the day in there, he still couldn't seem to keep his hands off you.

His hand, which would normally rest in the small of your back, gently guiding you where he wanted you to go, had slid up the back of your shirt. Resting directly on your bear skin. His hands were always so warm, you couldn't quite understand why. But they always managed to send a tingle through your entire body.

In usual Dutch Van Der Linde fashion, he called out across the camp.

"Attention, everyone. Stop what your doing and gather round. Quickly now!"

You felt his hand, stroking up and down your back. You looked at each other and smiled. Waiting for the rest of the camp to gather.

"Now as some of you may have noticed, Myself and Miss Finlay here, have been spending a little more time together of late..."

"Couldn't really help but notice, the noise that comes out of your tent," Sean shouted, and laughed.

You watched as Karen thumped him in the arm.

"Thank you, Mr Maguire..." Dutch retorted, with a sarcastic grin on his face.

"Well today, we are making it official!" Dutch hesitated, as he milked the applause.

"Tonight, we celebrate. Some of you may have noticed, the boar that Mr Pearson is preparing, tonight we feast like kings!"

Dutch turned to you, on hand still on your back, with the other he cupped your face in his hand. His lips met yours in a gentle and chaste kiss.

You felt your face flush, not because of the kiss but because it was in front of everyone. But mostly because everyone was whooping and clapping.

Dutch finally removed his hand from your back, and instead wrapped it around your waist. You both headed towards where the boar was being roasted.

As you approached, The smell of the wild boar cooking, suddenly made you hungry.

Pearson was already slicing pieces of wild boar, and placing them on plates.

He smiled, as he handed you and Dutch the first plates.

"The happy couple, should have first taste," he added.

Dutch put a piece of the meat in his mouth, "Mr Pearson, you have outdone yourself!" he exclaimed. "C'mon everyone, lets eat."

Hosea walked across camp, with a couple of the bottles of moonshine in his hands.

"I figured we could lose a couple of bottles," he chuckled.

Susan was following him with several cups, which she laid out on the table.

Hosea filled each cup with moonshine, and waited for everyone to take one.

Once everyone had a cup, Hosea smiled at you and Dutch.

"A toast, to Dutch and Kara. May they always be as happy as they are right now!"

You took a sip of your glass, you coughed like crazy as the burning liquid hit the back of your throat.

It didn't seem to affect everyone else in the same way, but this was your first taste of moonshine.

Everyone stood there laughing, including Dutch. After your coughing fit had ceased, you laughed too.

Sean, handed you a bottle of beer. "Maybe this is more to your liking," he chuckled.

You took it gladly, "Thank you Sean, ever the gentleman!" you exclaimed.

This caused everyone to burst out laughing once again, including Dutch.

"I hope your not trying to steal my woman, Mr Maguire," Dutch joked.

Sean chuckled, "You're joking!" he pointed at Karen with his thumb, "She'd fuckin' kill me!"

The eating and drinking carried on into the evening. Javier played his guitar, and everyone sang.

You were so happy, you figured that maybe everyone else should be too. So with a few drinks inside you, you decided to do a little matchmaking.

You sidled up to Arthur, "Ya know, that Mary-Beth has a soft spot for you, Arthur?"

Arthur smiled, "Sure, I know."

"Well, don't you think tonight would be a good time to do something about it," you suggested.

Arthur hummed, "problem is, I've got a soft spot for someone else."

You flushed slightly, causing Arthur to laugh.

"Not you, ya fool. You're more like an annoying little sister!" he sniggered.

"Well, who then?" you asked

Arthur grinned, "I ain't tellin' you! Anyway, I don't reckon she'd be interested."

You sighed, "Oh Arthur, nearly every single woman in this camp is interested in you. Just ask her to dance, when Dutch puts the gramophone on. Because you know at some point he will!"

Arthur chuckled, "maybe...we'll see."

You stood up, and walked over to where Kieran was standing.

"C...congratulations Miss," he stuttered. Despite everything, he was still nervous. You didn't know why, without him, you may well have died.

"Thank you Kieran, and thank you for saving my life," you added.

Kieran shrugged, "wasn't me it was..."

You interrupted him. "Dutch wouldn't have found me, if it weren't for you."

Dutch walked up behind you,"Its true, Kieran" he acknowledged, "we both owe you a great deal."

Dutch wrapped his arms around your waist and pulled you into his chest. You leant into him, smiling.

"Now Kieran, if I were you, I would wander over to where young Miss Gaskell is, and when I start up the gramophone, in a moment, I would ask her for a dance. I know you have a soft spot for her, and I know that she quite likes you."

Kieran's face flushed. "Y..yes sir, I will." He stuttered, and walked away.

Dutch chuckled, the deep baritone chuckle you loved so much.

You turned around so you were facing him, and wrapped your arms around his neck.

"And there was me thinking that I was the only one matchmaking tonight," you grinned.

Dutch's hand glided up your back, until he was holding the back of your head, he leant over and pressed his lips to yours. Gently at first, then more hungrily, as his tongue begged for entry, which you eagerly allowed.

The kiss was long, deep and needy. He wasn't in the slightest bit bothered, that you were in full view of everyone either.

When your lips finally parted, he smiled.

"Lets get this gramophone playing, or that poor boy will have run for the hills!"

You both walked over to the gramophone, and he started it up.

"C'mon baby girl, lets show these fools how to dance."

You and Dutch started to dance, and it wasn't long before a few others were dancing as well.

You tried to keep your eyes peeled for who was dancing with Arthur, if anyone.

You weren't surprised to see Kieran dancing with Mary-Beth, or Sean dancing with Karen. But you were surprised to see Arthur dancing with Tilly. You smiled, you hoped that it worked out for them, and you hoped that Mary-Beth wouldn't be too upset.

You found yourself starting to get a little tired. A lot had gone on over the past few days.

Dutch was sitting, talking to Hosea. You wandered across, and sat on his knee.

He wrapped his arms around you, and smiled.

"You look tired, baby girl," he purred.

You nodded, "a little, I wouldn't protest if you carried me to bed," you smirked.

Dutch looked at Hosea, and grinned, "see what I mean about subtle."

Hosea rolled his eyes, "just as well we're dealing with the Grays and the Braithwaites!"

Dutch chuckled, "c'mon on then." He lifted you up, and you wrapped your arms around his neck.

"Goodnight Hosea," you grinned.

"Goodnight Kara," Hosea chuckled, as Dutch carried you back to the tent.


	35. Chapter 35

The following morning you awoke with the headache from hell, and feeling like a rat had crawled into your stomach, and died.

This wasn’t helped by the fact that Dutch didn't appear to have any after effects from the over indulgence at all.

“C’mon baby girl,” he soothed, as he rubbed your back. Just get up and get some fresh air. You’ll soon feel better.”

He was already up and dressed and ready to start the day. You quickly got dressed, only because as you ran out side, you could feel your guts coming up.

You managed to make it to the edge of the lake, before you threw up.

You did feel better for it though, and after a drink of water, felt slightly better. Breakfast was a different matter. You really didn't feel like you could face any food this morning.

Dutch wasn't the only one, who didn't appear to be affected by the nights festivities. Arthur was also in fine fettle.

You went back over to the table, where Dutch, Hosea and Arthur were sitting. You laid your head on your folded arms. “I feel awful,” you groaned.

Arthur chuckled, “that’ll teach ya.”

Dutch rubbed your back, “Still feeling a bit delicate?” he smirked.

You groaned into your arms.

“Why don't you ride out with me? Kara,” Arthur suggested. “I’m heading out to Caliga Hall to have a nosey around. Fresh air will probably do you good.”

Hosea frowned, “are you sure that's a good idea, Arthur. We did say a subtle approach!”

Dutch chuckled, “look at her, Hosea. She ain’t gonna be anything else but subtle, the state she’s in. Take her with you Arthur, fresh air will do her good!”

You groaned, “don’t suppose I get a say in this!”

Arthur chuckled and grabbed your arm, “Nope, no say at all, now c’mon.”

He dragged you towards the horses, and you reluctantly mounted up. Following Arthur out of camp.

On another day, you would have been pleased to be riding out. But today, all you wanted to do was collapse in a heap, and die.

It wasn’t far to Caliga Hall, and by the time you reached there, you were feeling a little better, although to look at your face it was hard to tell.

As you both approached the main gate. Several men, were standing by the gate, eyeing you both suspiciously.

Arthur tipped his hat, “We’re on business here, for Sheriff Gray.”

The man grunted, and let you both through.

You rolled your eyes, “cheerful bunch, ain't they!”

Once you reached the main house, you both dismounted and looked around.

Arthur spotted someone he recognised. “He was outside the Sheriff’s the other day. Lets try over there.”

Arthur headed towards the young man, and you followed.

It turned out Arthur was correct, this was Beau Gray, the Sheriff’s nephew.

He was a strange one, but probably not as stupid as he looked.

He managed to persuade you both to deliver a letter and a gift to some Braithwaite woman.

You sniggered to yourself. Seemed funny that there was a love affair going on right in-between a family feud.

Arthur wasn’t too keen, until Beau offered him some money, then his eyes almost lit up.

As you walked back to your horses, you looked at Arthur.

“Wouldn’t it be easier to just rob the houses, and be done with it?” you suggested.

Arthur rolled his eyes, “Hosea was right about you, subtle you ain’t!”

You both rode over towards the Braithwaite manor, and found the love of Beau Gray’s life in the gazebo. She seemed just as smitten with him, as he was with her.

She gave you a letter for Beau, and after delivering it to him, you both headed back to camp.

Dutch had been right again, you felt much brighter after the ride out with Arthur. You even had a bit of an appetite.

Once you’d hitched the horses, you grabbed a some food. There was still plenty of wild boar left, from the previous night, so you went and sat at the table, with Hosea and Dutch, whilst you ate.

Dutch smiled, “You seem brighter, are you feeling better?”

You smiled back, “Yes, I think the ride and fresh air did me good.”

Hosea looked at Arthur, “No trouble?” he asked.

Arthur chuckled, “No, she behaved herself, although she did suggest just robbing the families.”

You frowned at Arthur, as you ate your food. He sure knew how to get you in trouble, or at least try.

Dutch smirked, “I think baby girl, that anything else we do for these good folks, we should keep you out of!” he hummed.

You shrugged, “just seems like a lot of effort, if you ask me!”

Hosea narrowed his eyes, “just as well we ain't asking you then!” he retorted.

The following day, Hosea and Arthur, headed out with the moonshine to sell it back to the Braithwaites.

It was just as well you hadn’t arranged to go with them. Because no sooner were you dressed, than you found yourself running to the waters edge, throwing up your guts.

You couldn’t quite understand it. Maybe it was something to do with the boar you had eaten the last couple of days.

You took a deep breath, as you waited for the waves of nausea to pass.

As you stood there you felt a hand on your should.

You quickly looked around to see Abigail standing there. You hadn’t spoken to her over much. Your paths didn't cross that often. Mostly because you were either out doing jobs, or she was looking after her little boy.

“Are you ok honey,” she asked.

You nodded. “Think I may have ate something bad, hopefully it’ll pass soon enough.”

She smiled, “how long have you been feeling ill?”

You shrugged, “Oh only a couple of days, I reckon its that boar we had.”

Abigail nodded. “Hope you don't mind me askin’ honey, but is it only in the mornings, when you’re sick.”

You nodded, “seems to be, but then I don't usually feel like eating till the afternoon,” you added.

Abigail smiled as she put an arm around your shoulder. “Lets take a little walk.”

As you walked along, you started to feel a little better.

“Kara? When did you last have your monthly?”

You looked at Abigail, then the realisation hit you. Your hands covered your mouth, and tears began to pool in your eyes, and you shook your head.

“No, No this can’t be happening,” you cried.

Abigail put her arm round you, “Don’t worry honey, it’ll be fine.”

You turned and stared at her, “No it wont be fine, you don’t understand!”

You ran along the edge of the lake, until you were right on the very edge of camp.

You sat on a boulder, holding your head in your hands and you sobbed. How could Abigail say it would be fine. How could you be a mother. What about Dutch, he wouldn’t want a child, would he? What if he was just like your father, and abandoned you, like your father had done to your mother.

You didn't want to be like your mother, telling your child that they were a mistake. Your mother wasn’t much older than you, when she fell pregnant, talk about history repeating itself.

Just as your life seemed to be on track, everything was about to fall apart.

“Kara?”

You spun around, to see Karen standing there.

She came rushing over, and put her arm around you.

“Kara, don’t cry, its gonna be ok,” she soothed.

“D...did Abi...Abigail tell you,” you sobbed, your breath coming in gasps.

“Yes she told me,” Karen whispered, hugging you. “It’ll be fine, everyone will help you.”

You shook your head, “Dutch will abandon me, just like my daddy abandoned my mama. She always said I was the biggest mistake of her life, and that I was stupid. Looks like she was right,” you sobbed.

“Don t you say that, Kara. Besides Dutch loves you. That ring proves it. He ain’t gonna leave you. You just have to tell him.” she explained

You shook your head, “He loves Kara that runs around being crazy, the Kara that he can make love to, not the one who’s gonna end up looking like a beached whale, and giving him a kid he don’t want. He’s gonna hate me.”

“How do you know he doesn't want kids, did you ask him?” she asked, trying to be logical.

You looked at Karen, “I know you’re trying to make me feel better, but if Dutch wanted kids, he would have had them by now. He’s an outlaw. Outlaws don't want kids. I mean look at John, he left Abigail after she had Jack, my daddy left my mama. What makes you think Dutch will be any different?” you questioned.

Karen sighed, “there’s only one way to find out Kara, you’re gonna have to tell him!”

Karen left you after a while, sitting and looking across the lake. How could you tell him. He might not leave, after all this was his gang, his camp. Likely he would ask you to leave. Where would you go. You only got involved with the gang because of what you could do. The last thing he needed was another woman and baby in the camp. Now you were wanted, so it wasn't like you could go back to Blackwater. In any case why would you want to, there was nothing there for you now.

“Just face it Kara, you’re up shit creek, with no paddle,” you mumbled to yourself, as tears started to pool in your eyes once again.


	36. Chapter 36

You stood at the edge of the lake. Your mind was in turmoil. Trying to decide what you should do for the best. You had no idea how long you had been gazing out onto the lake, the calmness of the lake at odds with your thoughts running through your mind.

“Kara? Baby girl, there you are, I wondered where you were.” Dutch observed, as he walked towards you.

You closed your eyes, trying to calm your heart beat, which felt like it was about to explode from your chest.

You felt his hand on your shoulder, “Kara?” he questioned.

You turned your head, and looked at him, tears now streaming down your face.

Dutch placed his hand on your cheek, wiping away the tears with his thumb.

“Baby girl, whatever is the matter.” he soothed.

“I...I d...don’t want you to hate me,” you stuttered, unable to stop from sobbing.

Dutch frowned, “Why would I hate you?”

You took a deep breath, “I’m pregnant,” you blurted.

Dutch took his hand away from your cheek, and stared at you, an expressionless look on his face. He opened his mouth, to speak. But no words came out.

You buried your face in your hands, “I knew you would hate me, your gonna leave me, just like my daddy left my mama. But I’m not gonna hate this baby, like my mama hated me, I’m gonna love it. Even if their daddy don’t.” You sobbed.

Dutch walked and stood in front of you, and pulled your hands away from your face.

“No Kara baby, that's not it at all,” he wrapped his arms around you. He put one hand at the back of your head, and pulled your head into his chest.

“I could never hate you, and I’m nothing like your daddy. I wont run out on you, I love you,” he soothed. “This baby is gonna be loved, by both of us, I promise you.”

You looked up at Dutch, “please don't say that, if you don’t mean it,” you begged.

Dutch let his hands drop, before holding both of your hands in his.

“I won’t lie to you baby girl, this isn’t the best timing for us to be havin’ a baby. But I swear this baby will be loved and I will do everything I can to find us a place to raise them safely.”

Dutch cupped your cheek in his hand, and pressed his lips to yours, in a long and lingering kiss. Rubbing your back with his other hand, in an attempt to calm you.

When your lips parted, Dutch wrapped his arm around your waist. “c’mon, let go back and see if we can find something to help with the sickness.”

You rested your head on Dutch’s shoulder, as you walked back towards the centre of the camp.

When you reached the centre of camp, Dutch guided you to the table, close to his tent.

You sat down at the table. You looked around, there was no sign of Hosea or Arthur.

“where are Hosea and Arthur,” you asked.

Dutch smiled, “Don’t you worry about them, you just worry about yourself and junior,” he said, gently rubbing your stomach. “Have you eaten anything today?” he asked.

You shook your head. “I was too sick this morning, then...”

Dutch smiled, “stay there, I’ll find you something to eat.”

You smiled back, as you watched him walk over towards Pearson's wagon. You wondered if everything was actually going to be OK.

You laid your arms on the table and rested your head on them. With all the emotional turmoil you had been through today, your eyes grew heavy, and you slowly drifted to sleep.

You awoke to your shoulder being gently shaken, and your forehead gently stroked.

“Kara, wake up, angel.”

You opened your eyes. Dutch was standing over you, gently rousing you.

“Sorry, I must have drifted off,” you mumbled.

“You need to eat something, baby girl,” Dutch soothed. “and Abigail has made you some mint tea. She thinks it’ll help with the sickness.”

You lifted your head up, there was a plate of meat, and a cup of what you assumed was the mint tea.

Dutch sat beside you stroking your back. “you need to eat plain food, until the sickness passes,” he explained.

You took a mouthful of the meat, it was some sort of fish. You were glad that it didn't make you feel sick, as soon as you ate it. You took a sip of the tea, and pulled a face.

Dutch chuckled, “It probably doesn't taste too good, but its good for you.”

“I don’t care what it tastes like, if it will stop me from being sick,” you muttered.

As you ate the food, and drank the foul tasting tea, you saw Hosea and Arthur, walking towards you.

Hosea frowned, “is everything OK?” he asked, glancing between you and Dutch.

You looked at Dutch, and he smiled.

“Well,” Dutch started, “we’ll be having an addition to our family, in a few months,” he smirked.

Hosea raised his eyebrows, “well that was unexpected.”

Arthur chuckled, “Almost as unexpected as out little encounter with Lemoyne raiders in Rhodes!”

Dutch frowned, as he put his hands on your shoulders. “What happened?”

Arthur explained the meeting with Catherine Braithwaite, and the incident at the parlour house, when they started giving the liquor away.

Dutch hummed, “I guess we’re gonna have to be a bit more careful. At least Hosea has been invited back to the Braithwaite's, we might be able to work with that.”

Arthur chuckled, “Don’t suppose Kara is going to be working with anything is she!”

You rolled your eyes, “I’m pregnant Arthur, once the sickness goes I’ll be fine.”

Dutch squeezed your shoulders, “and right now, I think you should go to bed, before you fall asleep again.”

You looked up at Dutch, to see him smiling.

“Don’t worry baby girl, we got this,” he acknowledged.

“You’ll come to bed soon?” You queried.

Dutch nodded, “just as soon as I’ve finished up with Hosea and Arthur.”

You walked into the tent, and closed the flap. After undressing you laid on the cot, and covered yourself with a blanket. You soon drifted off to sleep.

You didn't hear Dutch come to bed that night, but when you awoke the following morning, his arms were wrapped around you. His chest pressed into your back. You smiled to yourself, as you felt one of his hands resting on your stomach.

He must have felt you stir, as his hand start to gently rub circles on your stomach.

Dutch kissed your shoulder, “and how are my two baby girls, this morning.”

You put your hand on top of his, “it might be a boy,” you smirked.

He kissed you again, “You can allow me to dream a little,” he purred.

You chuckled, “junior is fine, me a little bit queasy,” you admitted.

“I’ll ask Abigail to make you some tea,” he concluded, climbing off the cot.

You rolled over onto your back, “You don't have to, I can make it once, I’m up.”

Dutch shook his head, as he pulled on his trousers. “Stay there, I’ll bring it here. You can get up once you’ve had your tea.”

You took a deep breath, “I’m sorry...” you whispered.

Dutch frowned at you, as he pulled on his boots.

“Why are you sorry, baby girl,” he asked, as he sat on the edge of the cot.

You reached out and touched his face, “for doubting you, thinking that you’d leave me, leave us.”

Dutch took your hand, from his face and kissed it.

“I love you, and I love our baby. But I know that people haven't always been good to you, your mama, and your daddy.” he continued, “but I ain’t them, I’ll always be here for you, baby girl, you should know that by now.”

“I do, I do now.” you whispered, “and I love you for it.”

Dutch touched your cheek, and gently planted a kiss on your forehead.

He didn’t say another word, before standing up, but he didn't have to. He finished getting dressed, and then left the tent.

A few minutes later, he came back in with a mug of tea. As you sat up, you felt a little nauseous. You quickly took the tea. Even the smell of it seemed to help calm your stomach. You didn't think you would ever get used to the taste though. Having said that, most medicines that did any good, usually tasted foul. The mint tea, was no exception.

You drank half the cup, and then got up from the cot.

Dutch stared at your nakedness. He walked over and wrapped his arms around you, pressing your naked body to his. He ran his hands up and down, you back, before capturing your lips with his own. He let out a low grunt, as he let you go. “You’re so god-damn beautiful,” he purred, “now get dressed before I do something we’ll both regret.” he smirked, as he left the tent.

You grabbed your clothes, and got dressed. You would have to have a word with Abigail. You weren't how long you could go, without making love to Dutch, and you were pretty sure he wouldn’t want to leave you alone for too long, not if this morning was anything to go by.

Once you finished dressing, you finished the tea, and headed out. Whilst you were still feeling sick, you didn't actually feel like you were going to have to run to the lakeside and spill your guts.

Dutch was sitting at the table, surrounded by Arthur, Hosea, John, Javier and Sean. You guessed they were making plans. Probably trying to get there hands on all this Yankee gold, if it even existed.

You somehow doubted that Dutch would let you get involved. He was going to be even more protective now, given you’re current state.

You gave Dutch a little wave and a smile. He smiled back, so you headed over to find Abigail. Time to find out what the next few months were likely to have in store for you.


	37. Chapter 37

You walked across the camp, in search of Abigail. You found her, near the main camp fire.

She smiled as you approached.

"I take it that the mint tea is working?" she concluded.

You smiled back, "I still feel a little queasy, but less likely to throw my whole guts up in the lake."

Abigail chuckled, "that's good to know, and what about Dutch? How is he?"

You frowned, "surprisingly calm, and happy about becoming a father I think."

"But?" Abigail queried.

Your face flushed, "He wants to...you know, but I think he's worried about the baby!" you explained.

Abigail laughed, a deep belly laugh. You'd never seen her laugh like that before. To be honest you hadn't really spoken to her that much, before yesterday.

"It won't hurt the baby," she chuckled, "its just if you feel like it, more than anything." she added.

You nodded, and smirked a little, "What about you and John?"

Abigail rolled her eyes, "John was...well he was just being lunk headed John. Seems like Dutch ain't gonna be like John was. John wouldn't have thought about rushing off to get me mint tea before I got out of bed!" she exclaimed.

You smiled, and looked over towards the table, where Dutch was making his plans.

"I thought he might cut and run, or ask me to leave. He was a bit shocked, but then so was I. He's gonna be a pain in the arse though. He was protective of me before!"

Abigail sighed, "I wish John was more like Dutch, about his fatherhood responsibilities."

You patted Abigail on the shoulder, "I'm sure he will be one day, Dutch is just a little older and wiser I suppose. Although he does say he wants a little girl," you chuckled.

Abigail scoffed, "that's one better than John, he didn't want to be a father at all, I still sometimes wonder if he does."

You looked across, to see Jack playing with a stick in the dirt.

"Ya know Abigail, if you need any help with Jack, then I'm probably gonna have some time on my hands. I can't see Dutch letting me go out robbin' even after the morning sickness is gone."

Abigail, threw the dregs of her coffee on the fire. "Ya know, I just might take you up on that," she concluded, as she walked over to Jack.

Having had one bit of good news, you headed over to Pearson's wagon. He was standing, chopping up some meat, most likely for the next days stew.

"How's our expectant mother?" he asked, smiling.

You smiled back, "Not too bad. I was just wondering if you could tell me how to prepare that fish, that you did for me last night?"

"Ya know, I don't mind cooking that for you, or a bit of chicken or fowl. It doesn't take that much effort." he conceded.

You smiled, "I know, but you have to cook for the rest of camp. If its that easy, then I could do it myself. Plus I never really know when I'm going to fancy eating, at the moment."

Pearson, pulled out what looked like some sort of bird meat, from under the counter.

"Come with me, I'll show you," he said as he walked towards one of the far camp fires.

When you reached the campfire, there was a small grill at the edge of the fire.

Pearson laid the meat on it, and every so often would turn it.

"Be careful, when you take it off. The metal grill will be hot, so its best to skewer it with a knife."

He put the cooked meat onto a plate and handed it to you.

After a few minutes you let it cool, then tried it. It was as succulent as the meat that Charles had given to Dutch, when you had been ill before. The only difference was that Charles had added some herbs. Right now, plain was better. Although you wondered if adding mint, might help. You knew from experience that mint tasted much better on meat than it did in tea!

"This is really good, Mr Pearson. Thank you."

Pearson smiled. "You can do the same with pretty much anything, including fish."

He stood up and headed back to the wagon. You sat by the fire, and finished eating the meat. Glad that your stomach had not decided to protest.

You walked back to the centre of camp. Dutch was still in conference with John and Javier, but Arthur, Hosea and Sean had disappeared.

You were feeling a little left out. Everything that was going on, and you couldn't even get a peace of the action.

You walked over to the table, just as Javier and John got up to leave.

"Where are you two off to? You asked.

The two men glanced at each other, "Nowhere really, just a quick job." John replied.

"Well why don't I go with you?" You suggested.

Dutch stood up, "that's not a very good idea, not right now," he interceded.

John and Javier, walked away, heading towards the horses.

"I suppose that means I'm grounded again." You sat down with a sigh.

Dutch walked around behind you, and started to rub your shoulders.

"Its for the best, baby girl. You've got more than just yourself to think about now. You wouldn't want anything to happen to junior now, would you."

You smiled, turning your head to look up at Dutch. "Your gonna make a great daddy ya know."

He gave you a quick peck on the lips, "and you're gonna make a great mama," he cooed.

The next few weeks you stayed around camp. Helping out Pearson, Miss Grimshaw and the girls, and Abigail, if she needed help with Jack.

With the help of Abigail's mint tea, the morning sickness was just about bearable.

The boys carried on doing jobs for the Braithwaite's and the Grays.

Dutch of course, giving you the 'I told you so' speech when the boys ran into trouble, which meant a shoot out, or a run for cover. Especially when they set the Grays Tobacco fields on fire, and then stole the Braithwaite's prize horses.

Neither job really had much of a payout, so you got your own opportunity to tell both Dutch and Hosea, that you didn't think the Yankee gold, even existed.

"If it exists at all, whose got it," you complained. "seems like you've been running around for these two families, and neither of them have actually got any money!"

Dutch scowled, "I don't know why you have to keep doubting me. Once we've got it, we can be out of here."

You looked at Dutch, he looked anxious. You walked over, and rubbed his shoulders.

"I don't doubt you. I just want us to be somewhere safe, so that we can raise our baby, without two families, warring with each other, and us being stuck in the middle." you soothed.

Dutch turned around, and wrapped an arm around your waist, pulling you onto his lap.

"That's exactly what I want too baby girl, the boys are heading into town. Sheriff Gray wants a job doin'. If nothing comes of it, then we'll call it a day. But I think we're close."

You wrapped your arm around Dutch's neck, and kissed him on the cheek. "I'm just frustrated, hanging about here, like a spare part." Dutch went to interrupt.

"I know!" you stopped him, before he had a chance to speak, "We need to think of the baby, and I am. I just don't feel very useful right now."

Dutch smiled, as he moved you off his lap, "I'll tell you what. The boys are gonna go see Sheriff Gray, How about you take a guard duty shift whilst they're gone. It means I can send another gun, just in case they run into trouble."

You smiled, it was the best offer you were going to get, so you took it.

"I'll go get my rifle off of Lucky."

Dutch looked at you, a little worry evident in his face. "Remember if you see anything suspicious, take cover, and fire a warning shot. I don't want you putting yourself or the baby in danger." he warned.

"I'll be careful,"you promised as you headed towards the horses.

You took the Springfield rifle from Lucky's saddle, and headed about halfway down the track.

A short while later, you saw Arthur, Sean, Bill, Charles and Javier ride out.

You waved them off, and leant up against a tree, rifle crooked in your arms.

At least now you felt that you were being of some use.

The boys had been gone for a while, probably about an hour, when you thought you heard the sound of a branch snapping.

You gripped your rifle, and went to investigate. There was no point sounding off, for a false alarm.

"Who's there," you yelled, only to be met with silence. You relaxed. You must have imagined it. Only to feel pain in the back of your head. You fell to the floor, before darkness enveloped you.

You didn't know how long you had been out for, but when you awoke your head hurt. You hands and ankles were tied. You looked around to see you were in a large room, filled with elegant furniture. You had no idea where you were, but you figured it must either be the Braithwaites or the Grays that hand taken you.

A pair of double doors at the end of the room, burst open. An elderly woman walked through, flanked by two men with shotguns.

"So, Van Der Linde's whore has finally awoken. Lets see how much he's willing to pay to get you back. My business associate isn't very pleased that you destroyed our liquor business!"

One of the men strode over. He pulled a knife, and cut the ropes, tying your feet, before pulling you up.

"I don't know what you're talking about, hell I don't even know you are!" You exclaimed.

The other man, walked over and you felt his fist, collide with your stomach.

You bent over double with pain.

"Shut the fuck up, this is Catherine Braithwaite!"

"Please!" You begged, "don't hurt my baby,"

The woman laughed, "and Van Der Linde's bastard, should get a tidy sum for that!" she scoffed.

She looked at the two men, "get her out of here," she drawled.

You were dragged outside of the house by the two men, where two other men were waiting.

One of the men that was holding you spoke to one of the other men, in a language you didn't understand.

"Questa è la puttana di Van Der Linde. È lui che ha distrutto il liquore. Oh e lei sta portando il suo bastardo!" he stated.

The man grabbed you, and through you over the back of his horse, retying your ankles. He looked at the other men. When he spoke, it was with a foreign accent. He wasnt American, you surmised.

"Immagino che pagherà per riaverli. Il signor Bronte sarà contento."

You did manage to make out some words. Whoever these men were working for, he seems his name was Bronte.

"Please, let me go, I dont know anything." you begged. You were beginning to get cramps in your stomach. If you lost this baby Dutch would never forgive you.

"Stai zitto, stupida cagna del cazzo!" the foreign man yelled, and you felt something hard hit your face, before you blacked out again.


	38. Chapter 38

You weren't quite sure how long you blacked out for. You weren't sure what woke you. Whether it was your body bouncing around on the back of the horse, the cramps in your stomach, or the interminable noise of the horses hooves on cobble.

The horse you were tied to, had now slowed to a trot. You assumed that you were in a large town. Where, was beyond you. It wasn’t Rhodes or Valentine. All the streets there were dust, not cobbles, and there were no street lamps. It was dark, so you couldn't see much, although the lamps did show you that you were in a higher class end of town. Although from you current position you couldn't see much.

You wondered if anyone would know of your plight, surely it would seem odd to someone that you were tied up, on the back of a horse.

The horse finally stopped, and the man hauled you off. Someone opened some double metal gates, that quick shut, with a resounding clang.

You were carried into a large house, and then chucked on the floor. You groaned as your body his the floor, solid marble, harder than concrete it seemed to you.

Cramps in your stomach had started to worsen.

A man approached you, taking out a knife he cut the ropes around your ankles, and dragged you to your feet.

He grabbed you by your shirt.

The man who had brought you from the Braithwaites, yelled at the man.

“Attento. è incinta. I ragazzi idioti di Braithwaite l'hanno irritata un po '.”

The man who had grabbed you, loosened his grip slightly, as he rolled his eyes.

You looked around trying to take in your surroundings and possibly a means of escape. You looked towards a plush staircase. A well dressed man stood at the top of the stairs. By his whole demeanor, you could tell he was the boss. Possibly Signor Bronte himself.

“È questa la donna van der linde?” He asked, the man who was holding you.

“Sì, signor Bronte. È incinta del bastardo di Van Der Linde. I ragazzi braithwaite l'hanno maltrattata. Si è lamentata del mal di stomaco.” the man replied.

Bronte came down the stairs, “I’m sorry miss, we’ll try and make your stay here as pleasant as possible.”

His accent was very thick, you imagined that they had been speaking italian, a language you didnt understand.  You felt like spitting in his eye, but given your current predicament you decided not to do anything rash.

Bronte looked at the man, who was still holding you by the shirt.

“metterla in una delle camere da letto, delicatamente. e togli le corde dai polsi.”

T he man removed his hand from your shirt, and grabbed your arm, leading you up the stairs.

There were loads of doors upstairs, he open one of them. It was a large bedroom. He sat you on the bed, and cut the ropes on your wrists.

You bent over and gripped your stomach, the pains were getting worse.

The man frowned, “you should rest, signora,” he suggested, in a thick european accent.

You watched as he walked from the room, closing the door behind him. You heard the click, as the door was locked.

You laid down on the bed, praying that your baby was going to be ok. 

You couldn’t sleep. The pain in your stomach, came in waves and was too great.

Eventually you watched the sunrise through the window. You just lay there, hoping that the pain would go.

You heard the door click. You closed your eyes, pretending to be asleep. You heard footsteps, someone put something down on the table, then you heard the footsteps receding then the sound of the door closing then a click,  as it locked again .

You kept your eyes closed for a few more moments, just to make sure that whoever it was, wasnt still in the room.

When you opened your eyes, the room was empty. But there was a tray on the table, filled with a variety of food.

You were in no mood to eat. You just hoped that Dutch had realised you were missing.

You laid there and focussed on your breathing, the way Dutch had taught you, to try and help with the pain. It worked somewhat, but you kept losing the focus thinking about your baby, and if it was going to be ok.

The room began to dim, as the sun began to set.

You once again heard the click of a lock, and the door opened.

The man that had dragged you up here stood there.

“You can go,” he stated.

You sat up, and hissed, as a shaft of pain went through your stomach and back.

He grabbed your arm and helped you up.

After leaving the room, he guided you to the stairs. Once downstairs he let go of your arm. One of the doors opened in the downstairs hallway.

Dutch emerged from the room. As you saw him you sobbed, and he rushed towards you, wrapping his arms around you. His hand on the back of your head, pressing it to his chest.

“It’s ok baby girl, I’m here now. Lets go home,” he soothed.

He helped you outside and through the big double gates, which one of Bronte’s men closed behind you.

You suddenly doubled over as another wave of pain hit you.

Dutch rubbed your back, “Are you ok? Are you hurt?” he asked, slightly panicked.

He looked you over. “Oh my god, baby girl, you’re bleeding!”

You looked him in the face, “Oh Dutch, I think I’m losing our baby,” you sobbed.

Dutch looked down the street and yelled.

“Arthur, get over here!”

You looked into the distance and saw Arthur and John riding towards you.

“I need to get Kara to a doctor!” he exclaimed.

Arthur looked down at your blood soaked jeans, “Oh shit,” he mumbled.

He quickly jumped off his horse, holding onto you, whilst Dutch mounted the count.

Arthur gently lifted you up and handed you to Dutch. You lay bridal style in his arms perched in front of him.

Arthur quickly mounted up, he looked at John.

“Go back to camp, let them know we’ve got Kara, and get moving to the new place,”

John nodded, and quickly left.

Arthur looked at Dutch, “follow me, I know where there’s a doctor!”

He pushed his horse on, and Dutch followed.

“Don’t worry baby girl, its gonna be ok,” he soothed, pressing a kiss to your forehead.

Tears ran down your cheeks, you didnt think it was going to be ok at all.


	39. Chapter 39

You watched from Dutch's arms, as Arthur jumped off his horse and started hammering his fists on the doctors door. It was way past opening hours, but maybe someone might be around.

One of the upper story windows opened, and a woman yelled down.

"What's all the racket, we're closed, comeback in the morning!"

Arthur yelled up, "It's an emergency! Please, I wouldn't be banging on the door if it weren't!"

The woman turned from the window, talking to someone inside, a few moments later she looked back down at Arthur.

"Give him five minutes, and he'll be down," she sighed, closing the window.

Arthur sighed, and walked over to where Dutch was, still seated on the count, with Kara, in his arms.

"He's coming down, in about five minutes," he whispered.

Dutch nodded, and passed you down to Arthur, who gently put you on the ground. Supporting you, until Dutch had dismounted.

The three of you walked towards the door of the doctors. Every so often you would gasp as a wave of pain passed through your stomach. Dutch clutching you a little bit tighter, every time it happened.

Tears still streamed down your face. Despite Dutch's protestations earlier, that everything was gonna be ok, you knew it wasn't, as much as he wanted it to be. Making you feel even more guilty, if that was possible. This was all your fault. If you'd fired the warning shot, like he'd asked, then none of this would have happened.

You must have gone over the scene in your mind a million times, when finally the door of the doctors office opened, and he beckoned you in.

"What's the emergency?" he asked.

"My...fiancée. Is pregnant, she's in pain and bleeding," Dutch replied, his voice cracking.

The doctor nodded, looked and looked at you, "you better come through."

Dutch led you through to the doctors consulting room. You looked back, as Arthur had elected to stay outside. You couldn't really blame him.

You sat in the chair, as the doctor started asking questions.

"This baby, Mr...?"

"Van Der Linde," Dutch snapped.

"Mr Van Der Linde, is it yours?" the doctor queried.

"Of course the god damn baby is mine!" he snapped

The anger on Dutch's face, you thought he was about to punch the doctor.

"Dutch...please." you cried.

Dutch held your hand and squeezed it. "Don't worry baby girl, I'm here," he soothed you, as best he could.

"Do you know what happened, Mr Van Der Linde?" the doctor asked.

Dutch glared at the doctor, "yes I know what happened, that Italian bastard Angelo Bronte, kidnapped my woman, and his thugs roughed her up. If anything happens to our baby, I swear to god..."

The doctor put his hand on Dutch's shoulder. "Let me take a look, although I should warn you, its not looking good."

The doctor started to remove your trousers. He looked across at Dutch.

"You might want to wait outside." he suggested.

"Please Dutch, please don't leave me!" You cried.

Dutch squeeze your hand, and brought it up to his lips, "I ain't goin' anywhere baby girl,"

The doctor removed your pants, and shook his head, he felt your stomach. Prodding it here and there. You winced.

He walked across the consulting room, and grabbed some towels.

When he returned, he passed them to you. "Just try and clean yourself up a bit, whilst I speak with your Hus...With Mr Van Der Linde."

He beckoned Dutch over to the other side of the consulting room. You strained your ear to hear the conversation.

"I'm sorry Mr Van Der Linde, there was nothing I could do. She's lost the baby."

You looked at the expression on Dutch's face. Sadness didn't even come close.

"Is she...is she gonna be ok." he asked his voice cracking.

The doctor nodded. "Physically she'll be fine, the bleeding with stop in a few days. Emotionally, I don't need to tell you, that this will be tough. Probably for both of you."

Dutch nodded.

The doctor put his hand on Dutch's shoulder. "I think I have some clean clothes upstairs that you can use, until you get her home. I'll leave you two alone for a little while."

Dutch nodded, and walked back over to you.

Dutch knelt beside the chair, and took your hand in his, gently pressing his lips to the knuckles.

"I'm sorry baby girl, there's nothing he could do." he whispered, trying to keep his voice level, but failing miserably.

You choked up a sob, and tears fell down your cheeks, "this is all my fault," you sobbed.

Dutch stood up, wrapping his arm around you, and pressing your head into his chest. Gently wiping the tears away with his thumb, "No it ain't baby girl, it ain't your fault, don't you go sayin' that. Its that bastard Bronte, and his thugs. Those bastard Braithwaites."

He kissed the top of your head. "Its gonna be hard, I ain't gonna lie, but we'll get through this together, I promise you."

Once you had stopped sobbing, he just held you. Kissing the top of your head. Despite what he said, you still felt it was your fault, and you prayed that he wasn't going to hate you for it.

The doctor returned, a while later, with some clean undergarments, and a skirt. It wasn't what you were used to wearing, but you never wanted to see the bloody clothes you had been wearing again.

The doctor stood next to Dutch, and shoved his hands in his pocket, his face thoughtful.

"Mr Van Der Linde, don't take this the wrong way, but people who get involved with Angelo Bronte, aren't generally known to be on the right side of the law."

Dutch nodded, "I appreciate your candour, doctor. Please, drop the mister, and call me Dutch."

The doctor nodded. "Despite that Mr...I mean Dutch, I have numerous people pass through these doors, that are only here due to Bronte, or his goons. Whilst the payment comes in handy, I would prefer not to have them pass through."

Dutch looked at the doctor, he pulled a money clip out of his pocket. Thinking that the doctor was dropping a hint.

The doctor pushed Dutch's hand away. "No, keep it. I'm just sorry that both of you good people had this happen."

Dutch shrugged, "Good, might be pushing it for me." He looked at you, and smiled, "She's a good person and didn't deserve this," he sighed.

The doctor nodded, "well, I feel neither of you did." He pulled a piece of paper out of his pocket, and passed it to Dutch. "this person has his own reasons for disliking Mr Bronte. If you speak to him, you might be able to aid each other mutually, and maybe put an end to the patients that come through here, because of him."

Dutch nodded, and put the piece of paper in his pocket. "Thank you doctor, for everything."

The doctor smiled, "look after your young lady, and good luck."

Dutch wrapped his arm around you, "C'mon baby girl, lets go home."

You walked out of the consulting room, to see Arthur still waiting for you.

He didn't have to asked, to know that everything wasn't ok. He held the door open, and then followed you both out onto the street.

Arthur looked at you, sadness in his eyes, "We've moved camp, its a big old house, outta the way, nice 'n' quiet." He concluded.

You nodded, as Dutch lifted you onto the count, then mounted up behind you. Wrapping his arms around you, and pulling you into his chest.

All three of you rode in silence, back to the new camp. There wasn't really much to say.


	40. Chapter 40

Arriving at Shady Belle for the first time was bitter sweet. It had probably once been very grand, but had now fallen into a state of disrepair, although more than habitable. Even the windows had glass.

You'd always imagined living in a big house, and when you first became aware of your pregnancy, and Dutch telling you how one day you would live in a house. This house could have been your dream, living with Dutch, raising his children. Now it was a living nightmare. Your dreams, in ruins just like this house.

Arthur rode slightly ahead, you guessed to let people know you were coming in. To let them know, despite your safe return, there would be no party, no celebration.

Hosea was waiting for you both, by the hitching post, when you came in. He helped you down from The Count. Dutch quickly dismounted, and wrapped his arm around you. Hosea patting Dutch on the shoulder, trying to comfort him. You had both suffered a loss tonight, although you were the only one who had felt the physical pain, or who felt the guilt.

As you walked into the main house, everyone seemed to disappear into the darkness of the swampy night. Nobody would know what to say to you. What could they say, nothing that would ease your pain.

Dutch followed Hosea into the house. It was only then, seeing the way that Dutch looked around, that you realised he hadn't been here either.

Hosea led you both up the stairs, and took you into a large sitting room, which had an adjoining bedroom.

"Let me know if you need anything." he whispered, glancing between you and Dutch.

Dutch nodded, in silent thanks, as Hosea left and silently closed the door.

You walked over to the bed, and sat down. Dutch followed you, and pulled off your boots.

You laid down on the bed, still fully clothed.

"Do you want some help, getting undressed," Dutch soothed.

You shook your head, "I think I'll stay as I am, if you don't mind," you whispered.

Dutch nodded, and removed his coat, gun belt and waist coat.

He sat on the bed, and removed his boots.

Dutch lay on the bed, next to you, and wrapped his arm around you. He gently stroked away an errant lock of hair from your forehead, and kissed it softly.

You looked at his face, veiled in sadness.

"Please don't hate me," you sobbed, "as a tear ran from your eye."

You watched as you saw tears beginning to pool in his eyes. He closed his eyes, and pressed his forehead against yours, before slowly moving his head away.

When he opened his eyes, the tears were gone.

"I could never hate you, baby girl." He whispered, "I love you too much."

He gently cupped your cheek in his hand, as his lips gently brushed against yours.

"We got this, baby girl. We'll make it through, I promise you," he whispered.

You rested your head on his chest, and closed your eyes, tears trickled down your cheek, soaking into the material of his shirt.

You felt his hand, rubbing up and down your back, soothing you. Exhaustion finally allowing you to drift off to sleep.

The sun shone through the windows of shady belle, gently waking you. Dutch's arms, still wrapped around you. As soon as you opened your eyes, he kissed your forehead.

Tears pricked your eyes, as soon as you looked at him.

"I don't deserve you," you whispered, voice cracking.

He stroked your face, "You deserve to be happy, baby girl. You are so beautiful. I will do everything I can to make you happy. Just ask, and if its possible, it will be yours."

"I feel so worthless," you sobbed. "I cant even keep our baby safe,"

He pulled you into his chest. "hush now, I love you. The people who did this to you, to us, will pay. I promise you."

You touched Dutch's face, he had a little more stubble than usual. It wasn't really surprising.

"I love you Dutch Van Der Linde," you whispered. "I don't think I can get through this without you." your voice breaking.

He took your hand, and brought it to his lips, kissing it gently. "And you wont have to, we'll get through this together."

His arms wrapped around you, even tighter if that were possible. Making you feel safe and a little less vulnerable.

You lay there together, just holding each other. Neither one of you wanted to let the other one go.

The decision, wouldn't be either of your's, as you both heard a light knock at the door.

Dutch stroked your cheek, "Just stay there," He whispered, "I wont be long."

Dutch slowly moved from the bed, and headed towards the door, opening it a crack.

You couldn't tell who was on the other side of the door, but saw Dutch standing there, nodding his head at appropriate moments.

After a little while, he closed the door and headed back to the bed. He held his hand out.

"C'mon, I have a surprise for you."

You took his hand, and stood up, as he led you towards the door.

"What about my boots?" you asked.

He smiled gently, "you wont need them."

You frowned, but let him lead you to wherever he was taking you.

Dutch led you down the stairs, and headed towards the back of the house. There was a closed door towards the back.

When he opened it, you looked inside a small room, filled with steam.

A tin bath, stood in the middle of the room similar to the ones you had seen in the hotel in Valentine. The bath was filled with hot water.

"Susan thought you might like a bath." he explained.

For the first time, your mouth curved in the hint of a smile, as Dutch started to help you undress. He threw the dirty clothes on the floor and you stepped into the bath, letting the warm water gently cover your skin.

You closed your eyes and took a deep breath.

Dutch started to bathe you, gently sponging your shoulders and arms, then your legs. Then washing your hair.

"you looked at him, and smiled, "Thank you."

Dutch rubbed your shoulders, "I ain't even started yet." he said as he kissed your neck.

You were both interrupted by a gentle knock at the door, then it opened a crack.

"I bought Kara some clean clothes," Karen whispered through the gap.

Dutch smiled, "Come on in, Karen. How's Sean.?"

Karen smiled, "bastard is driving me crazy, thanks to Arthur."

You looked, "what happened, to Sean?"

Dutch stood up. "Karen, can you help Kara get dressed, make sure she has something to eat,"

Dutch turned to you and kissed your cheek. "I have to go and attend to something, I'll be back soon."

You nodded, finally able to let him out of your sight for a while.

Karen put the clothes on the chair, and brought a towel over to you.

You stood up in the bath, whilst Karen wrapped a towel around you.

"I'm sorry," she whispered, putting an arm round your shoulder.

You closed your eyes, and took a deep breath, "You were right, when you said he loved me, I don't...I don't think I would be able to get through this without him."

You took Karen's arm as you stepped out of the bath

Karen smiled, "I think he loved you from the moment he saw you in Blackwater!"

You sighed, and looked down. "I just hope it lasts."

Karen frowned, "What are you talking about?"

You took a deep breath, trying to hold it together. "It's my fault I lost the baby."

Karen grabbed you by the shoulders, and turned you so that you were facing her.

"Don't talk stupid, it was those damn Braithwaites fault. You didn't ask to be taken." she scolded.

"I know, but if I hadn't insisted on helping, been more careful..."

"Stop right there, right now," Karen chided. "None of this was your fault, none of it. You don't blame yourself when your horse throws a shoe, this ain't no different."

"You always make me feel better, Karen," you smiled. "Now tell me what happened to Sean?"

You started to get dressed, whilst Karen talked.

"Damn job for Sheriff Gray was a setup, sniper tried to take out my Sean, but Arthur saw him just in time, shoved Sean out the way. Bullet still caught him in the shoulder, but at least he's alive. Which is more than can be said for the Sheriff." she scoffed, "or the Braithwaites come to think of it."

"What happened to the Braithwaites?" You asked, curiously.

Karen smiled, "told you that man loved ya. When he found out you'd been taken, he rode over there with nearly everyone, shot the place up, until the old woman told him that Bronte had ya. Then he burnt the place to the ground."

You stared at Karen, open mouthed.

"So don't you go thinking he ain't gonna love you no more, or blame you for what happened." She added.

You finished getting dressed, thinking about everything she had said. You so wanted to hug him right now.

"C'mon," she said, after you were dressed. "You need to eat something. If you don't feel like talking to anyone, I'll tell them to bugger off!" She smirked.

"Ya know something Karen, I think you might be the best friend I ever had," you admitted.

Karen rolled her eyes, "c'mon lets get outside, afore my head gets too big to fit through the door," she chuckled.


	41. Chapter 41

You walked out of the big house, arm in arm with Karen. Getting a glimpse of the new camp, properly, for the first time. The house was big, and in its day would have been quite beautiful, if it weren't for the location. Stuck in the middle of a swamp, the muggy air and mosquitoes. More worrying the glimpses of the heads of the Alligators.

You cringed slightly, causing Karen to chuckle.

"It ain't that bad, and at least its outta the way of pryin' eyes." she concluded.

You sighed, you guessed you had to agree with that.

The pair of you walked over to where the stew pot was sitting, and helped yourself to a bowl. The layout to this camp, was not a great deal different from previous ones. Except that there was no tent for Dutch, Arthur, Hosea, or John and Abigail. They all had proper beds in the house.

The rest of the gang, had tents dotted about. There was a couple of fires, with logs and crates.

You headed over to one of these, with Karen. Several of the other gang members refused to make eye contact with you, and hurried off to do some unknown task. Likely you thought a task that didn't exist.

As you sat down on a crate, you sighed. "They're making me feel like some sort of leper!"

Karen rubbed your shoulder. "They just don't know what to say is all," she countered. "They just don't wanna upset ya."

You sighed and put the bowl of stew down, untouched.

"C'mon honey, you gotta eat something," Karen implored.

You sighed, "just don't see the point, I feel so empty...kinda dead inside."

You stared into the fire, hoping for some inspiration, but none came.

Karen picked up the bowl of stew, and handed it back to you, "go on, even if its a just little."

You took the bowl, from Karen, and nodded.

Of course she was right, you had to eat. You took a mouthful. It tasted bland. Not Pearson bland, but like your taste buds couldn't even be bothered to taste. You knew how they felt.

Karen stood up, "just come and find me if you wanna talk," she said, resting a hand on your shoulder.

After a few moments she left. You couldn't blame her, you weren't much company right now. You guessed that was why the others were giving you a wide berth.

You carried on staring into the fire, every so often putting a mouthful of food in your mouth, not through want, more through need.

You weren't sure how long you had sat there. You imagined quite a while, as the food on your plate had started to go cold. You were stirred from your thoughts by a hand on your should. When you looked up, you were surprised to see Arthur standing there.

He half smiled, "How you doin'?"

"Okay, I guess." you replied, breaking eye contact, and looking back into the fire.

"You don't need to lie, to make me feel better, I know you ain't ok." he soothed.

You looked up, swallowing the lump that was forming in your throat.

"You determined to make me cry, ain't ya," you replied, your voice cracking.

Arthur rolled his eye, "No, but sitting around staring into the fire ain't helping you much either. C'mon lets walk a bit."

You put down the bowl of half eaten stew, and stood up, as Arthur wrapped his arm around your shoulder.

You walked together for a while in silence. The grounds of Shady Belle were large, so it didn't take long before you were away from the house, and the rest of the tents.

"Did you know, I had a kid? Called him Isaac." Arthur admitted.

You looked at him, there was sadness in his face, "No Arthur, I didn't know that, what happened to him?" you whispered.

Arthur sighed, "he died, was killed by some scumbag. I should of been there to protect him, but wasn't"

You looked down, "I'm sorry," you whispered.

Arthur blinked, "He's here," he said, as he tapped his chest with his fist, always will be." he hesitated, swallowing hard, "and so will your baby, even though it wasn't born. You'll always carry them around in your heart."

You wiped a stray tear from your eye, not sure if you were crying for your baby, or Arthur's loss.

"Does it ever get any easier," you whispered, your voice cracking.

Arthur half smiled, "Sure, being around some people makes it easier, but I told you that, once before, sometime its not that easy though."

You nodded, feeling a little closer to Arthur through your shared loss.

You sighed, "just wish people weren't avoiding me, like I had the plague." you added.

Arthur rolled his eyes, "folks are just giving you some space. c'mon we better get back, if you disappear again, old Dutch is gonna have a fit!"

When you reached the house, you kissed Arthur on the cheek.

"Thank you, Arthur." you whispered.

Arthur just smiled, his usual half smile and wandered off.

You scanned the hitching area, there was no sign of the count, so you decided to go back inside.

You lay on the bed, and closed your eyes. The trauma of the last few days, had taken its toll, and you slowly drifted off to sleep.

You woke to voices, slightly raised in the next room.

"We don't need to take revenge, we hardly know the guy!" Hosea warned.

"It wasn't your baby he killed. The man don't mean shit to me, I'm doing this for Kara!" Dutch retorted.

Hosea sighed, "It don't feel good, Dutch. We've already killed too many people, and for what, some sort of half arsed revenge."

You stood up and walked through the door.

"You mean I have Hosea!" You interrupted. "You're referring to Cornwall and Micah?"

Dutch walked over to you, and wrapped his arm around you, "It's up to you baby girl, you heard what the doctor said, he's a vindictive bastard who's hurt too many people."

You nodded, "I wanna come with you Dutch, Please," you begged.

Hosea shook his head. "You're gonna damn us all, both of you."

You looked at Hosea, then looked at Dutch.

"We need to do this," you concluded, "both of us."

Dutch nodded, and took your hand. "C'mon, lets get the boys, and go."

You walked arm in arm with Dutch towards the horses.

"Bill, Arthur, Lenny, John, C'mon!" he yelled.

You mounted Lucky, as they all came running over.

"Where we goin'?" Arthur asked. Looking at Dutch.

Dutch smiled, "We're going to see a friend of mine, out near the swamps!"

"What exactly are we doin'?" Arthur asked, as you rode along the tracks towards Lagras.

Dutch looked round, "We're doin' someone a favour, and also a favour for ourselves. Just trust me Arthur. This is for the best."

"Best for who?" Arthur mumbled.

Dutch just rolled his eyes, and the six of you rode on towards Lagras.

Once you reached the small settlement, Dutch told everyone to dismount and followed him towards a small shack on the edge of the river.

"Thomas!" Dutch called out.

A darked skinned man, emerged from the shack. He held out his hand.

"Mr Dutch," he said, smiling. He turned his attention to you.

"Miss Kara," he acknowledged. You held out your hand, and shook his. "I'm sorry for your loss," he added.

You nodded.

Thomas guided you all towards a skiff that was waiting by the jetty, and you all climbed in.

"Where are we goin'?" John asked, not too happy about being in a boat.

Dutch smirked, "We're going to pay Mr Bronte a little visit!"

Thomas guided the skiff towards the back of Angelo Bronte's mansion.

As the boat came to a halt, Dutch looked at you.

"I want you to stay, in the boat with Thomas, until we get back."

You frowned, "Why, you know I can handle a gun," you complained.

Dutch cupped your cheek in his hand, "Please, baby girl, just do as I asked," he pleaded.

You pressed your face into his hand, "Okay," you whispered, "but be careful, I love you," you added.

Dutch kissed you gently on the forehead, before getting out the skiff.

It seemed like forever you waited. The sounds of gunshots, and yelling made you wish that you had gone with the men. Although to be fair, the thought of setting foot back in that house, turned your stomach.

Before long, you saw Dutch come running towards the skiff, Arthur following him, with what you only assumed to be Angelo Bronte, slung over his shoulder.

The rest of the gang, bringing up the rear, they were soon all back in the skiff, as Lenny released the ropes and pushed the boat away from the jetty.

Once the boat was well away from the mansion, Dutch leant forward, and slapped the unconscious Bronte bringing him round.

Dutch sneered at him, "All your men, all your money, now look at you, you pathetic sack of shit!"

"Do you know who I am," Bronte hissed. "You are nothing, you are all worthless."

You stared at the man who was responsible for the death of your child.

"Worthless!" You screamed, "My baby wasn't worthless." you stood up, and aimed a kick in the man's crotch.

You watched as he doubled up in pain, gasping for breath. With all the strength you could muster, you grabbed hold of him, and pushed his head into the water, holding in there with your knee. You felt him struggling beneath you.

"You bastard you killed my baby, they never had a chance, now it's your turn you fucking bastard," you screamed, sobs escaping from your lips.

Bronte eventually stopped struggling and was still, drowned in the swampy waters of the bayou.

You felt arms around you as Dutch pulled you into his chest, sitting you down in the boat.

Arthur and John stared at you in horror.

Dutch looked over at the slack body of Angelo Bronte. He momentarily, let go of you just long enough to tip the dead body over the side of the boat.

John stared at Dutch, "Jesus! What part of your philosophy books include feeding people to the god-damn alligators!" he exclaimed.

Dutch looked at John, shaking his head. "He killed my child, you may not have wanted yours, but I wanted mine." he hissed. "He ain't gonna get the chance to kill another man's child!"

Dutch returned to you and wrapped his arm around you, as Thomas moored the boat at the jetty.

"C'mon baby girl, lets go home," he whispered.


	42. Chapter 42

The ride back to Shady Belle was tense, to say the least. After the look that Arthur and John had given you, when you ended Bronte's life. But if you hadn't done it, you knew Dutch would have. It seemed that only you and he understood. You were surprised at Arthur. You didn't think for one minute, he wouldn't have done the same, if he'd had the chance with Isaac's killer.

You did think perhaps what Dutch had said to John was a little harsh. But probably not untrue. You knew now, that if your baby had been born, that Dutch would never have cut and run. He was just as devastated as you at the loss.

You walked into the living room that adjoined your bedroom at Shady Belle, arm in arm.

Dutch walked out onto the balcony, and you watched as he lit a cigar. He leant against the balcony, watching the comings and goings of the camp below.

You leant on the balcony, and looked at Dutch, he had a faraway look in his eye.

"We did do the right thing, didn't we?" you asked.

Dutch tossed his cigar to the ground, and crushed it with the heel of his boot.

He walked over to where you were standing, and wrapped his arm around you.

"You know we did. You remember what Hamish said?" Dutch hesitated, "He said when the time comes people get their just deserts. Doesn't matter who does it, as long as it happens. There's a whole pile of people who got hurt by Angelo Bronte, we didn't just do it for us, we did it for them"

Dutch pointed, his finger picking out two solitary figures in the camp below.

You watched as John walked across camp, his hand resting on Jack's head.

You smiled, maybe what Dutch had said to John had sunk in.

Dutch turned to look at you, and cupped your cheek in his hand. "Right now, I'm so jealous of John, knowing that I'll never get to have a moment like that, with our son or daughter."

You put your hand on Dutch's chest. "He or she, will always be there, in your heart, and in mine, and one day, I promise you, you'll get the opportunity, to walk with your own son or daughter."

Dutch pressed his lips to yours, gently at first, but when you responded his kiss became stronger, and more needy. It was the first time you had both kissed properly since this whole nightmare began. You both needed this as much as each other.

Dutch pulled away from you first, "If your not ready, or if this is too soon..."

"No Dutch," you confessed, "I need you," you whispered, as your lips crashed together again.

You dragged each other back inside, kicking of your boots, as you went through the sitting room, and into the bedroom.

"You sure baby girl," Dutch purred.

"I've never been more sure," you gasped, as you allowed him to remove your clothes and guide you towards the bed.

The following morning, the realisation hit you, if it hadn't hit you before, that the man who had his arms wrapped around you, did truly love you. More importantly, for you, you realised that you loved him. If anything, losing the baby had strengthened the love you had for each other even more.

If you were honest it still scared you a little, but you also knew, when the time was right, he would make a great father. Or for that matter, even if the time was wrong.

Realising that you were awake, Dutch stroked your face.

"I've been thinking, baby girl," he said.

You hummed, and snuggled your face, closer to his chest.

Dutch continued, "we should take a trip, get away for a few days, just you and me."

You looked up, at Dutch's face. A gentle smile crossed his lips.

"Where?" you asked, a surprised expression on your face.

Oh, I've got a few ideas, he smirked. "but after everything that's happened, I think it will be good for us. Hosea and Arthur can hold the fort for a few days."

You smiled, "I'd like that, if your sure that now is a good time."

Dutch nodded, "It's a perfect time," He got up from the bed, "I'll go and let Hosea and Arthur know," he said, as he grabbed his clothes and started to dress.

He glanced back at you before leaving the room, "Get up, we'll leave as soon as you're ready."

You wondered what the hurry was, but knowing Dutch, you knew when he got an idea in his head, there was no holding him back.

To be honest, a break away from camp right now would be a welcome relief.

You quickly got dressed, and found your boots, where they had been discarded last night.

Dutch was in the main room downstairs, talking to Arthur and Hosea.

"Is this a good idea, Dutch. You've just killed Bronte, and now your heading off on some sort of jolly." Hosea chastised.

Arthur for once, disagreed with Hosea, "I think its a good idea, Kara needs..." He stopped as he saw you walk in the room.

"What do I need Arthur?" you asked.

"You need to put everything that's happened over the past few days behind you, get away, get your head sorted. Both of you do," Arthur mumbled.

Dutch frowned at him, but not for more than a few moments. Both of you knew, that Arthur only ever had your best interests at heart.

"Well at least let us know where you're going," Hosea huffed.

You looked at Dutch, not even you knew where he intended going.

Dutch smiled, "We're going to visit an old friend." He quickly looked at you, "go and see Pearson, we'll need a few supplies for the trip."

You nodded, and headed off to find Pearson, still not knowing where you were going.

You took the supplies and headed over to the horses, packing them in Lucky's saddle bags.

You didn't have to wait long, before Dutch headed over to join you.

"Are ya ready?" he asked, beaming.

You smiled, "I think so, be quite nice to know where we might be going though."

Dutch smirked, "wouldn't be a surprise then, would it?"

He mounted his horse. You were both just about to head of when you heard someone yelling.

"Wait!"

You looked in the direction of the house, to see John come running over.

Both you and Dutch looked at him, slightly confused.

"Look," John started, "I just wanna say, well about what happened on the boat..."

Dutch didn't let him finish, "That's all in the past John, just enjoy your son..."

John nodded, and smiled, "Have a good trip, look after each other."

You smiled at John, "We always do."

You both watched as John walked back into camp, then turned your horses towards the track and headed out of Shady Belle.

You headed north out of Shady Belle. You could see the burnt out remains of the Braithwaite manor in the distance. They really had deserved what they got. You gave Rhodes a wide berth. Although from what you knew, it wasn't really necessary, as most of the town, specifically the Grays had been shot up. You also felt the Grays had got what they deserved as well. At least the gang had walked away from the encounter, relatively unscathed. Well except for you and Dutch, who had lost something more precious than any Yankee gold.

You weren't sorry when you left Lemoyne county behind you. You knew at some point you would be heading back, but for now you could leave the bitter memories behind.

You were soon heading back into the Heartlands. You'd really liked your time here, despite run in with Colm, and the shooting of Micah. You'd had more fun and laughter at Horseshoe overlook, than perhaps any of the places you had been since you joined Dutch's gang.

Dutch decided to by pass Valentine as well. Thinking about it. It seemed that every town you'd come in to contact with, had been shot up at one point or another. The only one that hadn't was St. Denis, and Dutch had pretty much burnt any bridges in that city, when he grabbed Angelo Bronte.

You shrugged the thought away, as you carried on heading North west. It was only when you caught site of the lake, and the cabin in the distance, that you realised where you were headed.

You'd approached it from a different direction than you had the first time, But seeing the little cabin on the edge of the lake, you looked at Dutch and beamed.

"Why didn't you tell me we were coming here," you asked.

Dutch smiled, "I knew this would put a smile back on your face baby girl," he said, moving the count a little closer to Lucky, so he could place a hand on your thigh.

You touched his hand, "you liked him just as much as I did, didn't you?" you confirmed.

Dutch smiled, "what wasn't to like. He's a good man, lets hope he meant it, when he said about visiting."

As you both approached the cabin, you saw that Buell was hitched outside. That was a good sign. His boat was also moored at the jetty, so he wasn't going to be out fishing.

Once you'd hitched the horses, Dutch wrapped his arm around you, and you headed to the front door of the cabin. You'd made good time, travelling from Shady Belle. It was late afternoon.

Dutch banged on the door, and after a few moments, you heard Hamish's voice.

"Door's open, come in!" He yelled.

You smiled at each other, and Dutch gently pushed the door open.

"Hamish!" Dutch called out, as you both entered the cabin.

He walked through, from the back of the cabin, Smiling.

"Dutch, Kara. Well this is a pleasant surprise. What brings you out this way," he chirped.

Dutch squeezed you a little tighter. "We've been through a bit of a rough patch, thought some mountain air, and an old friend, might help some," Dutch replied, his voice breaking slightly.

Hamish frowned. "You better sit yourselves down, and I'll make us some fresh coffee. Then you can tell me all about it."

You both sat down on Hamish's sofa, Dutch with his arm wrapped around you. You with your head resting on his shoulder.

"You don't think he minds us just turning up, like this do you?" you whispered to Dutch.

Before he had a chance to answer, Hamish came back through with a pot of hot coffee.

"I might be old young lady, but there's nothing wrong with my hearing. Of course I don't mind, in fact I'm pleased to see the both of you."

Hamish put the pot of coffee on the table, and grabbed some cups.

He looked at the pair of you, as he poured the dark liquid into the cups.

"Now why don't you tell me what's been going on." he concluded, passing you both a cup of coffee.


	43. Chapter 43

You stared into the black liquid, sipping it every so often, as Dutch recounted what had happened.

The engagement. The realisation that you both loved each other. The pregnancy, your doubts. Then the thrill that you both wanted the baby, as much as each other. Then the kidnapping, the loss of the baby, the doctor and Thomas. Then the killing of Angelo Bronte.

Hearing it come from Dutch’s lips, didn't make the hearing of it any easier. There were times, when tears would pool in your eyes. Dutch would stop, making sure you were ok. With a look or a touch. Other times, Dutch’s voice would break. You would hold him a bit tighter, while Hamish would just sit there quietly, just waiting for him to recompose himself.

When Dutch finally finished, he stroked your face, the kissed your hand.

Hamish took a deep breath and blew a breath out of his mouth.

“Seems like you folks have been through more in a few months, than most people have to go through in a lifetime.” he exclaimed.

Hamish looked at you. “Did killing that man, make you feel any better?” he asked, a look in his eye that made you feel a little guilty. Like your grandpa, getting ready tell you off.

You sighed, “It didn’t bring our baby back, but at least I know he wont do the same thing to someone else.”

Hamish nodded, “and what about Mr O’Driscoll.”

Dutch looked at Hamish, “we both still hate him,” Dutch concluded.

You glanced at Dutch, then at Hamish. “But there’s someone who hates him more, she wanted me to help hunt him down, but I declined.

Dutch smiled, “I didn’t even have to convince her.”

Hamish smiled, “was this before or after the baby?”

You smiled, “before, but I listened to what you said Hamish, about revenge.

Hamish took a swallow of his coffee, “and what of Mr Bronte?”

You leant forward slightly, “you always said that people will get their just deserts, that man hurt so many people before us, maybe it was supposed to happen this way.”

Hamish nodded, “Maybe.”

Dutch smiled, “some good came of it, one of my boys, adopted. He has a son, he didn't really step up to the plate, to be a father. Well not until now.”

Hamish stood up, “sad that it takes a loss, for people to realise what they have,” he acknowledged.

He took the cups through to the kitchen, then returned.

“Sounds like you have a lot of people to take care of, Dutch.” he commented.

Dutch nodded, “Yeah, it ain’t always easy. Things haven't gone too well in the last few months.” He chuckled, “Well, that's not strictly true,” he kissed you on the cheek.

“And you have another child back at your camp?” he asked.

You laughed, “yes, young Jack. Such a sweet boy, but runs his mother ragged. She was so kind to me when...” you stopped, and stared at the floor.

You felt Hamish grab your hands, you looked at him, swallowing back the lump in your throat.

“One day Kara, you’ll have loads of children hanging around you. You’ll never forget the one you lost, but it will get easier, especially once you’ve had your first.” he whispered.

You took a deep breath and nodded, hoping that Hamish was right.

“The pair of you have been through so much, but when the time comes, your gonna make the best parents.” Hamish added, glancing between the pair of you.

You looked at Dutch, and smiled, and you saw that look in his eye again. That look you hadn’t recognised the first time you had seen it. But you knew it now. You glanced at Hamish, and you thought perhaps that he recognised it too.

Hamish grinned, and quickly changed the subject. “Now I wasn't expecting visitors, so I don't have much in the way of supplies.”

You stood up, “Don t worry Hamish, our camp cook, Mr Pearson gave me some supplies for our trip.”

You went outside and grabbed the supplies from Lucky’s saddle bag.

As you turned to go back inside, you glanced across the lake. The sun was just setting, and it reflected in the stillness of the lake. You realised at that moment, you didn't want to keep running. You wanted to be able to do this, watch the sunset, without worrying if someone was going to be hunting you down. Either the law, or the likes of Angelo Bronte, or Colm O’Driscoll.

The door opening and footsteps on Hamish’s porch, roused you from your daydream. You looked to see Dutch coming out of the Cabin.

He put a hand on your shoulder. "I wondered where you'd got to, baby girl," he purred.

You sighed, “Beautiful isn’t it.”

“It is,” he agreed, “but only if you have someone to share it with,” he gently pressed his lips to your cheek.

You turned to look at him, “I want this, I want to be able to sit and watch the sunset, with out worrying who might be hunting us down,” you whispered.

Dutch cupped your cheek in his hand, “I want that too, and we’ll have it, all of it.”

You pressed your cheek, into his hand.

You glanced towards the cabin, and saw Hamish, lingering in the door way.

“Come on you two, lets get some supper on the go,” Hamish interrupted.

You smiled at each other, and headed back into the cabin.

You handed the meat, which Pearson had given you to Hamish, but not before pulling a bottle of brandy from the bag.

“I managed to snaffle this, as well,” you chuckled.

Dutch shook his head, “that looks a little familiar.” He snaked his arm around you’re waist and took the bottle from you.

Dutch hummed, “from my own stock, I do believe.”

Dutch glanced at Hamish, “see what I have to put up with!” he chuckled.

Hamish smiled, “sometimes fate brings two people together, who are just made for each other.”

Dutch kissed you on the neck, “ain’t that the truth.”

Hamish finished cooking, and the three of you sat down to eat.

Dutch telling Hamish about how you met in Blackwater, and all the hurdles, big and small you had overcome.

After the meal was over, you sat and drank Dutch’s brandy.

It was getting late, and you stifled a yawn. Being here with Dutch and Hamish, was the happiest you had been, since losing the baby.

Hamish stood up, and walked over to a cabinet on the other side of the room.

“I like you two,” he acknowledged, “I like you a lot.”

He pulled out a small metal box.

“I’ve seen a thing or two, and I know that sometimes good people, end up in bad situations,” he chuckled, “and vice versa.”

“I’ve not met all your people,” Hamish continued, “but those I have met, Arthur for instance, and those you have told me about, Seem like good people too.”

Hamish sat down, and opened the box.

He handed a sheaf of paper to Dutch. “I want you to have this, and I want you to go and settle down, and live the good life, you both deserve.”

Dutch looked at the papers that Hamish had handed him.

“Hamish, I cant take this. Its too much.” Dutch declared.

Hamish laughed, “I’m not a young man any more, I’ll never use it. It’s not like I paid for it, the army gave me the land as compensation when I lost the leg. I already had this cabin, its all I want, far enough away from civilisation to live how I please.” He hesitated, “sounds to me that’s exactly what you need.”

You looked at Dutch, “what is it?”

Dutch smiled, “Its our future, baby girl.”

Dutch looked at Hamish, “You’ll promise to visit, and if the time comes when you can't manage out here by yourself, you’ll come and join us?”

Hamish chuckled. “I’ve no idea what state its in, you might be cursing me.”

Dutch shook his head, “No Hamish, never that. Its land, a place to start, where we wont have to keep looking over our shoulder.”

Hamish nodded, “anyway, I’m heading to bed. Sorry I can’t offer you anything more than a place to put your bedroll.”

Dutch smiled, “You’ve given us so much already, and I’m not talking about the deeds.”

Hamish smiled, and raised a hand, waving goodnight as he headed into his bedroom.

Dutch put the bedrolls on the floor and you laid down. Dutch laid on his side, leaning on his elbow, his chin resting in his hand, gazing at you.

You smirked, “what are you staring at Mr Van Der Linde?”

Dutch leant over, and gently tucked a stray hair behind your ear.

“The woman I love, and the woman I’m gonna spend the rest of my life with,” he whispered.

He wrapped his arms around you, and pressed his lips to yours. You kissed him back, gently at first then more hungrily, running your fingers through his hair.

Dutch pulled away and chuckled. “C’mon, close your eyes and go to sleep. Before you drive me completely crazy.”

You smiled, “is this really happening Dutch, are we really gonna have a place of our own?”

Dutch nodded, “yes baby girl, it really is. Its time things started going our way, our days of running are almost over.”

You closed your eyes. You really believed that this time it was true.


	44. Chapter 44

It was warm that night. You weren't sure if it was the brandy, or something else. When you realised you weren't going to sleep, you managed to free yourself from Dutch's embrace with out waking him, or so you thought.

You crept to the cabin door, and quietly opened it with the intention of just sitting on the porch until you grew tired.

Then night was bright. A full moon, shimmering on the stillness of O'Creagh's run.

The beauty you had seen earlier when the sun had set, was nothing compared to the moon.

You looked at the lake, with the moon reflecting on it, it made it look even cooler.

You just couldn't resist. You took off your boots, leaving them on the porch. Creeping down to the jetty, you removed your clothes and gently lowered yourself into the water.

You ducked under the water, for a few moments, wetting you hair. As you surfaced, and wiped the water from you're eye, you looked towards the jetty. You gasped and grinned.

"What are you doing, Kara?" Dutch exclaimed from the jetty.

You rolled your eyes, "what does it look like!"

Dutch frowned, "You know I don't like it when you roll your eyes like that," he scolded.

You giggled, "what you gonna do about, huh!" You teased.

Dutch smirked at you, and started to remove his clothes.

You chuckled, "You'll have to catch me first!"

Once Dutch had removed his clothes, he jumped into the water.

You laughed as you saw the look of horror on his face.

"Fuck, its freezing!" he exclaimed.

This made you laugh even more.

Dutch grinned, "that's it young lady, you're in serious trouble!" He turned and started to swim towards you.

He could have just waded to you, the lake was quite shallow near the shore. You were still standing. You started to walk away from him, you then realised why he swam, he was getting to you faster than you could walk away.

By the time you had decided to try swimming, he was already next to you, and he grabbed you around the waist.

You let out a little shriek of surprise.

"Now what are you going to do?" He threatened.

"Distract you," you sniggered, as your lips crashed against his.

His hand came up and cradled the back of your head, as he kissed you back hungrily. His tongue darting across your own. His tongue, commanding dominance as he held you into a long and deep kiss.

When your lips parted, Dutch smirked, and you felt his hands slide down, so they were on the cheeks of your bottom.

He kissed your collarbone.

"Hold on," he whispered.

You put your arms around his neck.

As you did, you felt him pull you towards him.

You gasped, "Dutch! What are you doing?"

Dutch smirked, "What do you think, you trust me don't you?"

You nodded.

"Just relax." He whispered.

You quickly looked over your shoulder towards the cabin. It was still in darkness.

You relaxed, and felt him enter you, as he pulled you towards him.

You moaned quietly to start with, as he gently thrust in and out, but as he picked up the pace, your moans grew louder, as your hips bucked towards him.

He rolled his hips, as he hit your g-spot with every thrust.

He slowed the pace, keeping you hovering on the edge

"Please... Dutch," you stuttered.

Dutch smirked, "Patience baby girl,"

You were sure he was purposely taking his time, making you wait, until finally with one last thrust, your whole body, trembled as you came undone and spiralled over the edge. The warmth of his seed, filling you up, as he climaxed a split second later.

His arms, wrapped around you, staying inside you, whilst you buried your head in his shoulder.

He gently pulled out, and scooped you up in his arms.

You lifted your head from his shoulder, and you lips locked again, in a gently, but needy kiss. Your fingers running through his damp hair.

When he reached the jetty, he sat you on the edge, before, he climbed out of the water.

You sat there next to each other, your arms wrapped around each other. The warm night air drying you naturally. The lake still again, with only the moon to light it.

You would have liked to have just gone back to the bedroll, as you were. But both of you knew that Hamish was an early riser, and seeing the pair of you naked in his living room wasn't the best idea.

Once you were dry, you both dressed, and hand in hand walked back into the cabin.

You both lay down again, on the bedroll. Dutch wrapped his arms around you.

"You didn't think you could sneak out, without me noticing, did you?" He whispered.

You chuckled, "maybe, but I wont make that mistake again."

Dutch rolled his eyes, and kissed your head, "now maybe we can get some sleep."

You smiled to yourself, yes you were definitely ready to sleep now.

When dawn broke, you found out you were both wise not to go to bed naked. Hamish was the first up, and had soon made coffee.

The movement in the cabin, woke Dutch, him being a relatively light sleeper. You on the other hand, woke to find Hamish and Dutch talking in hushed voices in the kitchen.

You rubbed your eyes, and sat up. Dutch glanced over at you, chuckling, before bringing you a cup of coffee.

"That'll teach you go go midnight bathing," he whispered, smirking.

You rolled your eyes, unable to help yourself.

"So what's the plan for today?" you asked.

Dutch smiled, "Hamish is going to take us fishing."

You frowned, "I've never been fishing!"

Hamish chuckled, "Well Missy, it's about time you learnt! There's still some meat left over from last night, so we can have breakfast on the boat."

You quickly drank your coffee, and followed Hamish towards the jetty.

The boat was a reasonable size, and Hamish had a spare rod. Dutch had his own, so once he'd grabbed it from his saddle bag, you all climbed into the boat.

Dutch rowed, and you were soon in the middle of the lake.

Dutch showed you how to bait the hook, and Hamish gave you some advice on casting the line.

You sat in the boat, waiting for a fish to bite. Hamish and Dutch had caught a couple, before you got your first bite.

When you felt the pull on the line, you screamed, "what do I do now!"

Dutch chuckled, "just reel it in, until it starts to fight, then wait. As soon as its still, reel it in again."

Both Hamish and Dutch watched as you reeled in your first fish.

When you actually landed it, you were somewhat disappointed. It was very small, probably not more than a few ounces.

"You might as well throw it back," Hamish suggested.

You sighed, and threw it back, "all that effort for nothing," you huffed.

You cast your line again and waited. Hamish and Dutch just sat and watched. They'd already caught a fair few fish.

This time, when you got a bite, you didn't shriek. You just started to reel it it.

This one was a bit stronger, and it seemed to be running back out with as much line as you managed to reel in.

After about ten minutes your arms were beginning to ache.

"This is ridiculous," you complained, "I'm making no headway at all!"

Dutch chuckled, "I never figured you as a quitter?"

You scowled, "I ain't no quitter!"

You carried on trying to reel it in. As you managed to get it closer to the boat, you could feel it pulling. Your arms were beginning to hurt.

Hamish glanced across at Dutch. "I think Kara may need a hand."

Dutch looked at you, struggling to hold the fish. He put his rod down, and got behind you, wrapping his arms around your waist. Just in time, as the monster on the end of the line almost pulled you in.

"Hold tight, baby girl," Dutch encouraged.

You gripped a bit tighter onto the rod. The next time the fish stopped thrashing, Dutch helped you to pull back, and you finished reeling it in.

Hamish grabbed the fish, and threw it into the boat.

The fish, was about the same size that Arthur and Hamish had caught last time.

You collapsed back against Dutch, both men laughing. Your arms felt like they were made of lead.

Hamish grabbed the oars, "I'll row us back," he said, laughing.

By the time you got back it was around noon. You knew that you were going to have to leave soon, but you had enjoyed your time here so much, you didn't really want to leave.

Hamish saw the sadness in your eyes.

"I know you like it here Kara, but soon you'll have a home of your own just like it." he chirped.

You gave Hamish a hug, "I'm gonna miss you Hamish."

Hamish hugged you back. "You'll be too busy to miss me," he chuckled.

You stowed the gear back on the horses.

Dutch shook Hamish's hand. "Thank you doesn't seem like quite enough," then to your surprise, he hugged Hamish, who hugged him back.

"I meant it Hamish, once we're settled, nothing would make me happier than if you joined us."

Hamish smiled, "I may not have survived the fall from the horse had it not been for Kara, one good turn deserves another. Lets see what's around the corner eh. I'll keep an eye out for mail from Tacitus Kilgore," he smirked.

Dutch nodded, and mounted The Count.

You ran back over to Hamish, and kissed him on the cheek, "Thank you," you whispered, blinking back the tears, as you mounted Lucky.

You had a horrible feeling you wouldn't see Hamish again.

You and Dutch started the long ride back to Shady Belle. Once again avoiding Valentine and Rhodes, just in case. Although since dispatching Leviticus Cornwall, there certainly seemed to be less Pinkertons about. You both hoped that this was the case, as it would make the journey to the new property that bit easier.

The sun was setting just as you approached Shady Belle.

Bill yelled out who was there, and you both yelled back together, which caused all three of you to chuckle.

As soon as Arthur saw you, he came walking across to the hitching posts.

He had the look on his face which said he was surprised to see you both in once piece.

"Good trip?" he asked, smiling.

Dutch looked at Arthur beaming, "The best, we have a lot to discuss. But it will have to wait until morning."

Dutch looked at you, he could tell you were tired.

You didn't bother to stifle a yawn. "Could you take the fish to Pearson for me," you asked.

Arthur smiled as he grabbed the fish, "You both look like you could do with some sleep," he added.

Dutch nodded, as he wrapped his arm around you, and you both headed towards the house.


	45. Chapter 45

For the first time, since Clemens point you woke up alone. No Dutch laying there with his arms wrapped around you. He wasn't far away though, you could hear voices in the adjoining room. You knew Dutch was just as excited as you about Hamish's gift. He probably couldn't wait to tell Hosea.

You quickly got up, dressed and walked into the adjoining room.

Dutch was sitting at the table, all smiles, Hosea sitting opposite him.

As soon as he saw you, he opened his arms. You walked across and sat on his lap, smiling as you felt his arms wrap around you.

"If it hadn't been for Kara, we probably never would have met Hamish," Dutch beamed.

Hosea nodded, "this is is all well and good, but we've still got to get there. How are we gonna do that if we can't set foot in West Elizabeth?"

Dutch sighed, "trust you to put a dampener on everything, Hosea. We'll find a way, we have to."

Hosea shrugged, "I'm not putting a dampener on anything, I'm being realistic."

Dutch scowled, "well what do you suggest Hosea, that we stay here in this god-forsaken swamp, skulking about!"

Hosea stood up, "you know that's not what I meant, we just need to be careful."

Hosea walked out the door, and you heard his footsteps on the stair.

Dutch sighed, "I thought he would have been a little more enthusiastic."

You turned on Dutch's lap, and stroked his cheek.

"He will be, you know how Hosea is, always the cautious one," you whispered, trying to console him.

Dutch gently moved you off his lap. "c'mon, lets talk to Arthur, see if he's gonna doubt us as well."

You and Dutch, walked arm in arm down the stairs, and went in search of Arthur. You found him sitting on a log, by the main camp fire.

"Have you spoken to Hosea?" Dutch asked.

Arthur frowned, "No, why?"

Dutch sat down, opposite Arthur. You stood behind him, hands gently massaging his shoulders, to try and remove the tension.

Dutch sighed, "we visited Hamish, and he's given us some land, out west."

Arthur laughed, "good old Hamish, I like that old coot. Why so glum?"

"Hosea was a bit, well...unenthusiastic," you added.

Arthur shrugged, "he's always the cautious one, he didn't want us to rob that train as I remember."

Dutch nodded, "and he wasn't to pleased when he found out that Kara had killed Leviticus Cornwall either." Dutch added.

"Old bastard deserved it," you smirked, "especially after employing Micah."

Arthur chuckled, "I'm inclined to agree with you, but we won't mention that to Hosea. Maybe we should all get our heads together, see what idea's we can come up with."

Dutch nodded, "But I can tell you one thing, we ain't gonna let this opportunity slip through our fingers."

You smiled, "I'm gonna go and see how Sean is doing."

Arthur rolled his eyes, "That little bastard must have the lives of a cat, after Blackwater and that sniper in Rhodes."

You chuckled, "well maybe some of his luck will rub off, and we'll get to the new place without any problems."

You walked across camp, and glanced back to see Dutch and Arthur head back into the house.

You weren't even sure where they had Sean stashed. You hadn't really seen much of anyone since coming back from St. Denis, then being whisked off to see Hamish.

You finally found him, with Karen. She was fussing over him like a mother hen. You could see from the look on his face, he really wasn't enjoying it.

"How's my favourite Irishman?" you smirked, as you walked into the tent.

Sean grinned, "really! I'm your favourite?"

Karen rolled her eyes, "don't let it go to your head, Maguire. You're the only Irishman she knows!"

You chuckled.

"Well that's good enough for me," he retorted. "Have you come to save me from this bloody wench, who won't leave me alone for five minutes!" he added, with a devilish grin on his face.

"You ungrateful little shit! Sean Maguire." Karen hissed, "He's all yours!" she scoffed as she left the tent.

You shook your head, "your gonna have to make it up to Karen big time!"

Sean chuckled, then his face straightened, "How have ya been Kara, I heard about your trouble, and I'm sorry."

You looked down at the floor for a moment, "I'll be fine, I'm just glad those bastards didn't kill ya."

Sean smirked, "I'll be back on my feet in no time!"

"Just hurry up and get back up on your feet, can't have you holding us up," you concluded, as you turned to leave.

"What you talkin' about?" Sean queried.

You looked over your shoulder smirking, "you'll find out soon enough!"

As you left the tent, you saw Karen, standing by the edge of the river, her arms folded.

You walked up behind her, she looked a bit pissed off.

"He didn't mean it, ya know." You remarked.

Karen turned around, a sad look in her eye.

"I just wonder if he loves me as much as I love him," she mumbled, tears beginning to pool in her eyes.

You put your arm around her, how many times had it been her, comforting you. Now it was your turn to return the favour.

"Of course he does. You know how hard he finds it to sit still for five minutes, unless he's blind drunk!" you smirked.

"He's just frustrated. Just be patient, it's all gonna be good," you added.

Karen tilted her head, "what do you know, Kara?"

You chuckled. "I can't really say too much, but trust me when I say its all gonna be milk and honey, very soon."

Karen rolled her eyes, and walked back to the tent where Sean was. You so wanted to tell them, but you had to let Dutch make his plans first.

You stared across the river. As you did you saw a leaf drop onto the water. It gently floated across the river, and then stopped when it got stuck in the mud on the other side.

You chuckled, as an idea crept into your mind. You knew exactly how you were all going to leave this place.

You ran back to the house, as fast as you could. Taking the stairs, two at a time. You flung open the doors, to see Arthur, Hosea and Dutch looking at a map.

You grinned, "I know how were gonna get to the new place!"

The three men stared at you as though you were crazy.

"I don't know," Hosea said, frowning. "It sounds risky!"

You sighed, "No more risky than staying here."

Dutch nodded in agreement. "Just run through it one more time."

You sighed, "Sadie, Kieran, Pearson, Strauss and the rest of the women take as much as they can in a couple of wagons. They head for the property at Hennigans Stead."

You pointed to the location on the map.

"Once they're there, they set up a temporary camp. Then a couple of them head over to Quakers cove, with the horses. Where everyone else in the meantime will have arrived by boat."

You looked at Hosea, "Well?" you questioned, waiting for him to come up with a reason why it was an awful plan.

Hosea sighed, and nodded. "It looks simple enough, as long as there is no one in the wagon that's recognisable. But I think they should have at least one other person in the wagon that can handle a gun."

Arthur nodded, "But who? Who won't be recognised, just in case the law see the wagons?"

You sighed, Dutch wasn't going to like it, but you didn't see there was a choice.

"Me, I'm the only viable option." you stated.

Dutch looked at you and shook his head, "No, that ain't gonna happen."

Arthur shrugged, "I don't think we've got a lot of choice, Hosea and me can't go, we'd be instantly recognised. Nor can anyone who was on the Blackwater ferry."

Dutch slammed his fist on the table, and then promptly walked away from the table. You could see he wasn't happy by the way his fists were clenched. But you were sure he knew, that this was the only option.

"I promise I'll be careful. You know as well as I do, I'm the only viable option." You concluded.

Dutch turned around, and glared at you. "Careful! You wouldn't know careful if it came up and punched you on the nose!"

Dutch turned and glared at Arthur, "and I can't believe you are actually agreeing with her, you know what she's like!" he growled.

Your face was now flushed with anger. "Fine, lets just stay here in this godforsaken swamp!" You yelled.

You stood up, knocking the chair over backwards, and stormed into the bedroom, slamming the door behind you.

You couldn't believe that Dutch didn't trust you. Not even to ride shotgun on a wagon. It wasn't even to fight off any law men. It was just a safety precaution, if the wagons were accosted by anyone else.

You picked up the nearest thing you could find, which was an old vase, and threw it at the wall with a growl. It shattered on impact.

Moments later, you heard the door open, and close. You spun around to see Dutch standing there, his hands raised in mock surrender. He knew you were angry. He hadn't really seen you lose your temper properly. But you had lost it now.

"I don't believe what you just said, I don't believe you don't even fucking trust me to ride shotgun on a fucking wagon!" you screamed.

Dutch sighed, "listen baby girl..." he started, but you interrupted him, his gentle tone, angering you even more.

"Don't you fucking baby girl me!" you yelled, "you don't trust me, do you?"

You turned around, you really wanted to throw something at him. Before you had a chance to find anything, you felt his arms around you, pinning your arms at the side.

"Let me go," you seethed, trying to wriggle from his grasp. It was a pointless endeavour, but you knew that already.

"Not until you calm down, and listen to me," he demanded, calmly.

You stopped wriggling, "alright, I'm calm, now let me go!" you huffed.

"No you're not, I can feel the tension in your body. You're still angry!" He concluded.

"You'd be angry, if you were me," you hissed. "I don't believe you don't trust me!" you scoffed.

Dutch kissed your neck, you tried to pull away, but in your current situation it was impossible. You were still really angry with him, but you wouldn't stay angry for long, not with him doing that, and he knew it.

You slowly started to relax. Then he began to talk.

"Listen, I trust you. Really I do. But if anything happened to you, I would never forgive myself." he soothed.

"You know how much I love you, don't you baby girl?" he asked.

You nodded. "But you can't put me before the gang," you pointed out.

Dutch chuckled, "I can, and I will. Everyone will just have to get used to it, including you."

You felt Dutch releasing his grip, so you turned around and rested your hands on his shoulder. One of his arms wrapped around your waist, and the other hand cupped your cheek.

"I still feel like punching you!" you grumbled.

Dutch sniggered, "I know!"

He gently pressed his lips against yours. You kissed him back, you couldn't stay angry at him for long.

"So..." you asked, "what are we going to do about the wagons?"


	46. Chapter 46

Dutch stood outside the house at Shady Belle, calling everyone over.

"C'mon everyone, gather round, quickly. I have news, good news," he shouted.

Arthur and Hosea, stood slightly behind him. Hosea didn't look best pleased. You stood next to Dutch, his arm wrapped around your waist. You quit arguing with him hours ago. There wasn't a great deal of point. You knew that when he made up his mind to do something, to try and change it, would be like trying to move a freight train.

Everyone gathered around, including Sean, being supported by Karen. It looked to you like they had made up, after Sean's little outburst. You wondered how Sean would feel about the decision that Dutch had made. It didn't seem right to you that he could keep you in safety by travelling with the men in the boat, whereas Karen would be on the wagon. Hosea seemed to think that the wagons would be the most dangerous place to be. What with Pinkertons, Bounty hunters and other gangs. Not that any of them knew what the gangs plans were. Also the number of Pinkertons and Bounty hunters abroad, seemed to have reduced since getting rid of Cornwall. They weren't that bothered about hunting people down, if there was no pay check at the end of it.

"Now, we have been gifted some land out west, in New Austin. Its just land, no house like this," he gestured towards the main house. "but it's ours, we just have to get there."

He paused, you were sure it was for dramatic effect, or maybe gauging the reaction of everyone.

"For some of us, setting foot in West Elizabeth is too much of a risk. For others, as long as they are calm and sensible, well they should be able to travel through without getting too much attention from bounty hunters and the like. As long as they avoid Blackwater."

He glanced at Hosea and Arthur.

"The ladies, with the exception of Kara, along with Mr Pearson, Kieran, Reverend Swanson, and Herr Strauss, will take the wagons via Owanjila Dam to the property. Once they've arrived they'll setup camp, until we can get building underway. Once the camp is setup, they'll bring the horses to Quakers Cove, where the rest of us will be waiting, having travelled there by boat, any questions?"

"How come your woman gets to travel by boat, and the rest of the women take the riskier journey?" John asked.

There were a few mumbles, some agreeing others huffing at his comment.

Dutch didn't make a big thing of it, "It's simple John, Kara was seen with me in Blackwater. She was also seen with Charles. None of the people travelling on the wagons were." He stated.

There were some mumbles of agreement.

"So..." Dutch added, "If there are no more questions, lets start packing. Arthur and Javier, I want you to find us some boats, and bring them here. The water way here leads out to the Lannahechee, which will then take us over the Flat Iron Lake to Quakers Cove."

Arthur and Javier nodded, and headed off to the hitching area. There was no time like the present.

You walked with Dutch back towards the house. He was about to walk past Hosea, and he stopped. He patted him on the shoulder.

"Don't worry old friend, they'll be perfectly safe. All the women know how to handle a gun." Dutch reassured him.

Hosea nodded, but there was little else he could do now. Only time would tell whether the plan was going to work or not. 

Over the next few days, everyone started to pack up. Only the essentials, as everything had to be packed into a couple of wagons.

There was an electricity around the camp. A buzz of excitement, and a little nervousness.

Arthur and Javier, went in search of boats, and came back with two, which the moored next to the jetty at Shady Belle. John seemed to be spending a lot of time with Abigail and Jack. It must have been hard for him, you thought. Having to send his woman and his child, off in to the unknown. You could kind of relate to why Dutch wouldn't let you go with the wagons. Although you did feel it was unfair, for him to keep you close by, when John was to be separated from Abigail. The same for Sean and Karen. Although neither of them looked worried outwardly. But knowing them both, you knew it didn't mean that they weren't.

The day finally came for the departure. The wagons were already loaded up. Hosea stood there lecturing Pearson and Kieran, about what route to take, and where to avoid. Not to use their guns unless absolutely necessary.

The wagons left Shady Belle, just as the sun was rising. The rest of you headed down to the boats.

You were in the same boat as Dutch, Hosea, Arthur and John. The rest of the men were in the second boat.

You and Arthur, had your rifles, just in case, and the same was true of Javier and Bill in the other boat.

No one was expecting any trouble, but as Hosea kept telling everyone, 'you can't be too careful'.

It was a long way by boat, and everyone took turns rowing. That was with the exception of Hosea, because Arthur said he was too old, much to his disgust, and you, because apparently according to the men, women were too weak to row. So you cradled your rifle, ready in case there was any trouble.

You got a few strange looks from some of the fishing boats, but they probably thought you were going to one of the little islands to hunt.

You made landfall at Quakers cove, just before sunset.

Most everyone was pretty exhausted, but there were some empty shacks so at least everyone would have a bed.

No one really knew how long it would take for the Wagons to reach the property, so you all decided to get some sleep. Quakers cove was ideal. There were some abandoned cabins on the edge of the water, which meant that there was no need to setup a temporary camp. Hosea did insist on posting a guard. It was still relatively close to Blackwater, and there were also rumours of some other gangs, active in the area.

You were woken, by a loud bang on the shack door, which you had shared with Dutch the previous night. He still had one arm wrapped around you, but the other, had already reached for his gun.

"Who's there?" he yelled, pointing the gun at the door.

The door flung open, and Karen stood there, "ain't no way to treat a friend now is it." she smirked.

You grinned, "you made it, is everyone safe?" you asked, excitedly. "What's it like, the property?"

Dutch chuckled, "Calm down, they'll be plenty of time for you two to catch up." he hesitated, "but everyone is safe, yes?" he questioned Karen.

Karen nodded, smiling. "It was like a walk in the park."

Dutch released his grip on you, and holstered his gun.

"Who else is with you?" He asked.

Karen smirked, "Abigail, Jack, and Tilly."

Dutch frowned, "What? Why?"

Karen shrugged, "we all wanted to make sure our men were ok, plus Abigail knew that John would be worried about Jack."

You chuckled, "well I think it's sweet, c'mon lets go and see!"

This time it was Dutch's turn to roll his eyes, although he did have a hint of a smile on his face. You could only imagine what Hosea would have to say!

As the three of you walked out the cabin, you smiled at what you saw. Abigail was standing next to John, whilst he swirled Jack in the air. For once Abigail was smiling, instead of nagging. Arthur was leaning against a tree, his arms wrapped around Tilly, her head resting on his chest. As soon as Karen stepped out the cabin, she ran over to where Sean was sitting. He pulled her onto his lap straight away.

You looked at Hosea who was standing there, arms folded across his chest.

"It's like a god-damn date night round here," he huffed.

Dutch wrapped his arm around you as you both walked over to where Hosea was standing.

"Surely you're happy that they made it to the property ok," Dutch scoffed.

Hosea rolled his eyes, "I won't be happy until we all get there safely! Now c'mon, lets get moving."

By the time everyone had mounted up, the group looked like some huge posse gathering. Another thing that Hosea complained about. It didn't look so bad. The girls had obviously decided that riding with their significant others would help make the group look more normal. So Abigail rode with John, Karen rode with Sean, and Tilly rode with Arthur. Hosea was happy to put Jack in front with him, and of course you rode with Dutch, in front with his arm wrapped around you.

You chuckled to yourself, the number of times he had made you ride like this, when you didn't want to. Now this is the one place you loved to be.

The ride didn't take more than an hour. For safety, you rode along the edge of the Lower Montana River, which was where the property was situated. No reason to draw attention to the large group of riders, by travelling on the road. Coupled with the fact that it was truly beautiful, seeing the water flow over the rocks and the fish leaping out the water, every so often.

The property itself was no less beautiful. A small incline led down to the waters edge, where there was a waterfall.

Up the slope was the land, it was green and lush, with oak trees dotted around. You looked at it and could easily visualise a house, or several smaller cabins. But that was a plan for the future. Right now, Mr Pearson and Miss Grimshaw had set up a camp. Similar to how it had been at Horseshoe Overlook. Only this time, you knew it was only temporary, until the house or houses were built.

Whilst you had been travelling from Quakers Cove, Sadie had been out hunting, So Mr Pearson was happy that he could at least keep you all fed.

Once the horses were hitched, you finally saw Hosea smile.

"Happy now Hosea?" Dutch asked, his arm as usual wrapped around your waist.

Hosea nodded, "It's only because I worry, Dutch. But now I can relax."

You and Dutch wandered around the camp, making sure everyone was happy, and they were. For the first time everyone was relaxed, and laughing. Even Bill, who seemed hardly to ever laugh before.

You wandered down to the edge of the river with Dutch. Sitting on the shore of the river, you watched the waterfall cascading down. As you watched, a ray of sunshine hit the waterfall, creating a rainbow. You smiled at pointed to it.

"Look! Do you think there's a pot of gold?" you joked.

Dutch looked at you, and cupped your cheek in his hand, "who needs gold, I have everything I need right here," he purred.

He gently pressed his lips to yours, and you kissed him back.

For once you were in total agreement.


	47. Epilogue

Susan Grimshaw, open the bedroom door. You could see through the gap, Dutch pacing up and down.

“You can come in now, Dutch,” Susan whispered.

He walked into the bedroom quietly, almost timidly. Not his usual bluster.

You smiled, “come and meet your son.”

Dutch beamed, his pace a little more confident, as he walked over to the bed.

The little boy, with a shock of dark hair, punching the air with his tiny fists.

“A son, you gave me a son. He’s so perfect,” Dutch whispered.

Dutch looked at you, “I’m so proud of you baby girl,”

He cupped your cheek, and kissed you gently on the forehead.

“Do you want to hold him?” you asked.

Dutch looked at his son, then looked at you, “can I?”

you grinned, “he’s your son, of course you can.”

Dutch picked up his son, cradling him on his forearm, holding his head in the palm of his hand. He looked so small, in his fathers grasp.

Dutch gently rocked him, “Have you thought about a name?” he asked, glance at you for a second, before gazing back at the child on his arm.

You blinked back a few tears, “I thought...Maybe Hamish?” you suggested.

Dutch looked at you, and smiled, “Yes, that would be perfect.”

You smiled, “I wish he could have seen him, seen what we did with the place,” you whispered.

Dutch gently placed his son in the crib which was next to the bed. Charles had made it for him, about a month before he was born.

Dutch came and sat on the edge of the bed, and wrapped his arm around you.

“I’m sure Hamish’s spirit is with us baby girl, and I’m sure he’s proud of what we’ve achieved here. I know I am.”

You smiled, “I think we’ve done him proud, not just you and me, but everyone,” you rested your head on Dutch’s chest.

It hadn’t been long after you’d all settled here, that you had found out that Hamish had died. A hunting accident, they said. If he’d had to chose a way to die, that's the way he would have wanted to leave this world. Just the same, it didn't make the loss any easier.

Nine months ago there had been nothing here, but grass and trees and a few rocks. Now it was completely different. A decent sized ranch. The house which you were currently in, with six bedrooms, a big kitchen, a family room and even a bathroom. Three more cabins outside. A large barn, a coral for the horses, and an area to grow your own crops. Everyone had mucked in to get the house built, then the barn, then the other cabins. Now you had a perfect home. To raise horses, crops and children.

Hamish would be the first, but Karen and Sean were also expecting, and you were pretty sure that Tilly and Arthur wouldn’t be far behind.

Dutch stroked a stray hair behind your ear.

“Now I think you should rest, don’t you. Then tomorrow, we can introduce Hamish to everyone.”

You smiled and nodded. You were struggling to stay awake anyway.

“Will you sit with me, until I fall asleep?” You asked.

Dutch chuckled, “you know I will, I always have. Even when you didn't know it.”

“You want to know a little secret, Dutch Van Der Linde, I always knew it was you.” you smirked.

Dutch grinned, “Did you now!”

You closed your eyes, and drifted off to sleep, knowing that he would always be there, when you went to sleep, and when you opened your eyes.


End file.
